Anytime you write something about service these days, you’re hit with a barrage of angry retorts from people identifying themselves as waiters and waitresses. According to these fed up staffers, diners are all just a bunch of unappreciative, whining morons who keep demanding more.Presumably the right entrees, drink refills, that…

Sambuca 3607200 Bishop, Plano469-467-3393The revamped glow of Sambuca’s new Legacy space doesn’t have the original’s brick walls, screaming urban authenticity. It lacks the Addison location’s dated, desperate atmosphere. The menu is less ambitious than their Uptown setting. And just maybe it all works to 360’s benefit.Then again, maybe it’s nostalgia…

Rough and rustic little joints have always captured our imagination, although we’re never sure why. The tables wobble, seat cushions are torn and there’s something more than stale cigarette smoke lurking in the air…though we don’t really want to know just what.But that’s just one version of a dive. So…

In my school of thought–and keep in mind, it’s not a very well attended school–cocktails born in the heyday of gentlemanly drinking are to be revered. Drinks such as martinis, old fashioneds and the great sazerac came from an era when even the prettiest glass carried a big, stiff belt…

People tell me I have a glamorous job. They tell me over and over…until I respond with “gotta go to Furr’s; want to come along?” As much as we dismiss pile-it-on buffets, however, we’ve all bellied along a serving line. Whether we regret it moments later or rationalize the experience…

Each week, Pairing Off attempts to find just the right bottle of wine to go with ordinary food. Deriding fast foods is somewhat de rigueur on blogs such as this. We’re supposed to appreciate the efforts of chefs and skilled short order cooks as opposed to the corporate ethic, right?…

Even though I was only 10, I actually cast a ballot in the 1972 election. You’ll recall that it was a landslide. And as with every election in which I could legally vote afterwards–at least until the early 90s–I ended up on the losing end. That’s right, I marked the…

If Memory Serves chronicles moments from my dining past, perhaps explaining why I’m so damn strange.We lived just off Hampstead High Street in London. This was back in the days when Brits in search of a decent meal headed for French restaurants. On trains you could buy tomato and butter…

Every year, vendors on the state fair circuit push the limits of fried excess: chicken fried bacon, deep fried peanut butter cups and, of course, this year’s famous fried butter.The farther they push, however, the more we all realize how far out those limits really are. Despite years of experimentation…

Malarkey’s Tavern 4460 Trinity Mills 972-931-7300 I had only been in the place for about ten minutes before the inevitable happened. That’s right, in a pub listing some 100 beers from all over the world a guy sits down and asks if they carry Bud Light on tap. Why does this…

It’s rather difficult to drink wine responsibly when dining out–a point that was driven home a couple weeks ago when I scanned the menu at York Street. For those who’ve never visited this tiny, brilliant institution, chef-owner Sharon Hage recommends a wine selection next to each menu item. Because she…

So I got the idea for this week’s question after reading Karen Robinson-Jacobs’ piece about Jerry Jones and sponsorships in the Dallas Morning News. Seems that the Cowboys now have an official beer (of course), several official soft drinks, an official pizza, official coffee, official bottled water–even an official guacamole.Obviously…

You still see a flaming shot every once in awhile. For the most part, however, bars wisely consider the close proximity of of fire and alcohol to be a generally bad idea.Why? An Australian bar owner related a story about the time some riotous types ordered a round of B-52s…

We’re not just comparing any burgers here, but the monstrous La Monumental at Burguesa and The Porch’s equally hefty Stodg.The first is a much-hyped stack consisting of two beef patties, a special sauce, lettuce, cheese–and then more cheese, ham, refried beans, tostada, chunks of avocado, some onions and tomato, all…

Each week, Pairing Off attempts to find just the right bottle of wine to go with ordinary food.As a cereal, Rice Krispies were never a favorite. Yeah, they had that snap, crackle, pop gimmick, but you still needed five or six tablespoons of sugar to make them palatable.Then someone came…

Some say that T.G.I. Friday’s invented the potato skin.This was back in 1974, with the country reeling from Watergate, the withdrawal of combat troops from Vietnam, inflation and–worst of all–the introduction of all those sluggish mid-70s cars. Chrysler was, in fact, buying up the world’s production of rich, Corinthian leather…

We often wonder why anyone would decide to own a restaurant. Not only can profit margins be thin, they also rise and fall on whims. Hire an inept server? Customers at that table will never return.It’s a precarious business.From the guest’s point of view, however, there’s no reason to reward…