Nazar15107 Addison Rd.Addison972-726-0100Hardly anything has changed since this place transformed itself from the Turkish restaurant called Shish to the Turkish restaurant called Nazar.Oh, there’s a new owner and all. But I’m almost certain I had the same waiter as my last trip to Shish. There’s the same strange situation where…

Not being a fan of crowds, my intention was to avoid Restaurant Week. Yet somehow I ended up at Fearing’s for an evening of rushed–as in ‘get the hell out, we need to turn this table’–yet very pleasant service…and mediocre courses.It’s quite likely, of course, that Fearing’s crew pay less…

Yeah, I know–the year’s not up yet. But our annual “Best of Dallas” issue comes out in September and I’ve already turned in my selection.So what’s your pick for best restaurant to open so far this year? Is it a fancy spot like Five-Sixty or something simple–Lumi, perhaps, or Si?…

Most people first encounter grappa in the form of a cheap, punishing brand–the taste of cleaning fluids and jet exhaust being the gentler characteristics.Generally it’s also their last encounter with the spirit conjured from the pulpy leftovers of wine pressings. That’s right, the unique flavor of grappa (or marc in…

Like so many of the world’s most famous dishes, the true origins of mole are shrouded by time. Is it, as many insist, from Puebla or did cooks in Oaxaca first concoct the spicy bitter chocolate sauce? Maybe it was created by nuns. Some say it resulted from a kitchen…

Bob’s Steak & Chop House4300 Lemmon Avenue214-528-9446Quite a number of those who dine out on a regular basis are still in the dark as to Bob Sambol and his legal difficulties. Talk at surrounding tables on a recent visit centered on some encounter with Jerry Jones’ bodyguard Roosevelt (“he didn’t…

Several days into the annual charity event and we’ve finally had a chance to poke through some menus.Now, we weren’t looking for the best item or the most original. What we want from KRLD Restaurant Week–aside from a cheap three or four course dinner–is something that jumps from the list…

Each week, Pairing Off attempts to find just the right bottle of wine to go with ordinary food.Back in 1982 I took off with a friend on summer long road trip up and down the east coast, from Montreal to Atlanta and many, many points in between.It was a good…

OK, so we’re a little steamed here.First off, our blog system was acting up: running like, well, me on a football field (which is to say slow), cutting off sentences when we pounded the keyboard in frustration, dropping comments. But it’s all better now.Then the people at Lazare, who last…

As ever on top of things going down at Bob’s…Wilonsky reports the details of a deal that may put Bob’s on the block…

Hophead Jesse Hughey disappeared last week. Then empties of Buckler and Mike’s Hard Lemonade began arriving at my desk–every hour on the hour. You guessed it: the diabolical fiends in marketing were using him as “insurance” to make certain I post this promo… So here goes: If you’re not receiving…

Circle Grill3701 N. Buckner Blvd.214-327-4140″Is the food at that place still good?”Those were the first words uttered by my cab driver after dispensing with the ‘where to’ preliminaries. My car decided to stick around and wait for awhile–see if a willing tow truck would chance by.Circle Grill is a wayside,…

Leslie Brenner’s assessment of dining in Dallas appeared over the weekend–a comprehensive and provocative piece both casting the city in culinary shadows and under a gleaming ray of promise. You may disagree with her assignment of stars for particular restaurants. But the Dallas Morning News critic has hit us with…

Each week in ‘Knockers’ we order from a different delivery restaurant, assessing their efficiency and keeping a running score.Chicago Rick’s3628 Frankford972-307-4257Promised delivery time: 45 minutesActual delivery time: 43 minutesLevel of phone honesty that would have given Dick Cheney a heart attack: 50Interest rate on loan necessary to buy a fully…

This week’s question comes from TLS, who regularly posts comments and boycotted us for an hour when we listed the sexiest female chefs. So we’ll assume she is a she.Anyway, she says “I’ve always perceived coupons to a restaurant as a sign that their business is suffering. The plethora of…

I pointed out last week how, when I called for a Bombay martini, a waiter at Sevy’s asked “regular Bombay or Sapphire.” Since Sapphire hit the market in 1988 and began the upscale gin revolution, The Original Bombay (that’s what it now says on the label) faded into near obscurity–at…

When people say ‘it tastes like cardboard,’ what do they really mean? Well, after taking a bite from a box left over from my last Costco excursions–a corrugated job with a slick, four-color facing–I can report with some authority it has more character than the batch of McDonald’s fries I…

Tre Amici18020 N. Dallas Pwky.972-250-4400It opened at the end of last year as Fruia’s Tre Amici and, under that name, the far north steakhouse reviewed quite well.A few months ago, however, the other partners ousted their biggest–talking about name recognition here–colleague, Judd Fruia and changed the name to Tre Amici…