This week in Dallas food blogs are all about the under-appreciated, under-munched animals. We've swapped the quintessential beef patty for things like bunny rabbit, gigantic worms and a hot dog that takes a fork, knife and entire roll of Bounty to eat. And in the middle of Vegan Week, we feel especially proud of ourselves.
Dallas Morning News Leslie Brenner gives One2One Restaurant and Bar two stars. She found it to have an airy, if slightly confused, atmosphere. The food was overall pleasant, sometimes a miss, best described in her words as a "mixed bag."
Eats Brenner makes a note about a law banning restaurants from serving Pacific oysters in Texas. I've only had raw oysters once and they tasted like boogers, so I'm all for banning raw oysters in every restaurant. But I've got a terrible palate, so what do I know?
Kim Pierce reports on a wager between Arlington Mayor Robert Cluck and San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom. If we win, we get Dungeness crab, Ghirardelli chocolates, sourdough bread and Anchor Steam beer. If they win, we'll send them a box of Spring Creek Barbeque, which was apparently just crowned best in Texas by a food judge without taste buds (so says TMZ.) If we win, we win big. And if they win, they also lose.
Sidedish Sarah Reiss reviews Uptown's new Nodding Donkey, and though they managed to mess up guacamole, the (affectionately) bastardized hotdog and pulled pork sandwich were fantastically tasty. And a sign of good things to come, since the restaurant is still its soft-opening phase.
Nancy Nichols says that Maple & Motor is busting out a new breakfast menu. They're even going to unlock their doors earlier to serve it at the appropriate hours. The restaurant will now be open from 6-9 a.m., and that's just how they flapjack roll.
Pegasus News I've had beef with Red Mango ever since it replaced my beloved crepe shop at NorthPark, but now that they're rolling out these hot chocolate chillers I'm slightly less furious. It's hot chocolate made cold with Ghirardelli chocolate. I'd still rather have all that in a tender, buttery crepe, but whatever.
For World Go Vegan Week all week, Teresa Gubbins thoroughly enjoyed a vegan meal at Tillman's Roadhouse. She mentioned that her week of vegan eating left her feeling better and wishing that restaurants offered delicious vegan items all the time. A better mood isn't enough to make me put down the cow I'm gnawing on, but I'm now less opposed to consuming something that never had a face.
The Little Dish "Cake or death?" has been officially replaced by "Cake or gum?" Although Michelle insists that the new Extra flavors are delectable, I can't believe it's not even a little unsatisfying. And this is why I've gotta be careful with what I eat, because if I ever end up on The Biggest Loser and they told me to smack some gum instead of down that sundae, I'd be the contestant who throws a bitchfit on the elliptical, leaves the ranch in tears and then shrug and say, "Well, I wasn't there to make friends," at the reunion.
Eating in Dallas A rabbit's best natural defense was their adorably fluffy coat and gamey flavor. But when you skin Peter Cottontail and brown him in a pan with olive oil, he's pretty much the easiest target. The guilt of eating your kids' pet might leave a bitter aftertaste, though..
City of Ate For me, the Texas vs. California rivalry ended in the second grade when we learned that Texas is simply bigger than California. Hanna Raskin takes a second look and compares the food of the Rangers Ballpark and the AT&T Park. And so what if garlic fries and grilled crab sandwiches sound like they could pummel the shit out of our nachos and Lemon Chills? It isn't what you do with it, it's the size that counts.
OK, we know that the world's largest gummy worm looks like a giant dildo. Everyone thought it, and then everyone cringed when they realized how sticky that would get. City of Ate has a few more creative ideas.
Do you get annoyed that pumpkin-themed foodstuffs are available only for a sliver of the year? Maybe you should get over yourself.
Andrea Grimes checks out Fort Worth's Reata, and the Bloody Marys and delicious food piles get her to begrudgingly admit that there might be something completely awesome about the Sundance Square.
