Now, you all know I’m the kindhearted, gentle sort, right? That I would never write anything harsh about mindless poseurs ordering dirty martinis or suggest a certain rank dish should be dumped over the offending chef’s head?Never ever.So it may surprise you that I consider Boston Globe columnist Ellen Goodman…
We don’t know the guy. He was just sitting at the next table last night at Bella. So here’s the scenario and you be the judge:A guy–apparently a neighbor of Bella’s owner/front man–decided he wanted a martini. So he ordered: “Grey Goose, dirty.”Keep in mind a few things. 1. Men…
As you know, each week we highlight some of our favorite reader posts–an idea we began sometime back in the hopes of giving away prizes, then dropped, then kinda stole from Leslie Brenner when she started doing it (without prizes) on Eats. Too much to choose from this time around…
One of the bigger disappointments, when I returned from Europe, was the noticeably absence of Dalmore on liquor store shelves. Their 12 year Highland single malt had always ranked as one of the best value brands out there.Of course, the distillery’s “nose” (or master blender), Richard Paterson, says the idea…
Our weekly dish duel this time features a cagey newcomer and an old veteran working on new tricks…Think what we’d be missing out on if Caesar had never came, saw or conquered. Those who grew up in the 80s would have waited in lines at the Orange Justinian stand, for…
I’ll just say, straight off, that what I like about Pizza by Marco is their beverage price list. The new suburban branch of Dallas’ most storied pizza joint opened not long ago along Belt Line in Addison. Here you can purchase wine by the glass or bottle, and the two…
Whatever the dreary setting may do to your psyche, whatever hope may fade at the sight of cellophane-wrapped meat and kitchen staff trotting bags of frozen okra from the walk-in, you have to grant Cobb Switch a plus or two. Their brisket shows far more character than you generally find…
Ah, bacon. Nature’s most perfect food.If only–and I don’t mean this to sound like a prayer–some higher being could improve on the flavor of pork belly, cut into rashers and fried in an old pan. Yeah, I know all about the chocolate covered stuff. But that’s more of a television-age…
Pretty silent on the blog because it is deadline day for our upcoming “Best Of Dallas” print edition. Guess who won Best Tasty Foodie Destination For Dirty Martinis?Hah…
Bards and poets from Shakespeare to INXS have pointed out that words, wielded with force and intent, are weapons sharper than thorns on a rose. But what do we know? We prefer watching Shakespeare in movie form (My Own Private Idaho was his best work) and we’ve never liked INXS.Still,…
While we were down for half the morning, goons from marketing stopped by to offer decorating tips. They’re not very good at it, though–one of them smashed a priceless Ming vase, shattered a fragment of the Rosetta Stone we had on display and spilled our breakfast bourbon. They were apologetic,…
Seems like it happens every day. Love technology, especially when it is centered hundred of miles away so you can’t throw heavy objects at those responsible for the system…
Hully & Mo2800 Routh St.214-954-0203The place can fool you.In saying that, I mean to point out the gap between normal sports bar expectations and what Hully & Mo actually delivers–and how this can overawe just about anyone.Yes, they serve wings and burgers and those little diuretic sandwiches, just like any…
Every Monday in this space I pick something to rant about. Today, however, I’m at a loss.I did want to thank Leslie Brenner for bringing up the growing “we don’t take reservations” trend, which I find annoying…although I understand the value to a restaurant’s bottom line. I thought, too, about…
Each week in ‘Knockers’ we order from a different delivery restaurant, assessing their efficiency and keeping a running score.Pizzarella2155 Marsh Lane, Carrollton972-416-3333Promised delivery time: 40 minutesActual delivery time: 40 minutesPhone order doubling as identity/data-mining center: -12Ridiculous cheese-related boasting: -6Prompt delivery: 10Prompt delivery on a Friday evening: 25Un-pitted olives in salad:…
Remember the cigar craze of the late 90s? Even President Clinton got into the act.Sorry, couldn’t resist. But for stodgy old timers, there’s nothing so civilized as a cigar and refined drink after a big meal. Of course, we’re not allowed to indulge in Dallas these days–at least not within…
So many interesting comments this week. If we were still trying to give out prizes, one of these people would have walked out of here with an empty bottle of Knob Creek bourbon, sent that way by the folks in Kentucky as a means of illustrating how high demand affects…
Gary Shansby directed brands such as, oh, Clorox and Maguire’s Car Polish. So what do he know about tequila?Well, he knew Mexico’s most famous legal export ranked as the fastest growing product in the spirit category and that American consumers led the way. He also had a pretty good handle…
I know the Texas Rangers swept the previously mighty Boston Red Sox and we’re all atwitter about the American League West division race heading into August … September … maybe even October? But what if baseball were governed according to, say, European football standards? You know, the top teams rewarded…
Uptown Pub3605 McKinney Ave.214-522-5100This survivor of Uptown’s gentrification helps ease shock as your eye transitions from The Loon and its neighbors to the cluster known as West Village. Call it an anachronism, a sore thumb, an at times smelly reminder of what real ‘locals’ look like.Which is to say Uptown…
Kent Rathbun opening a down-home Southern kitchen is a lot like asking an accomplished concert violinist—Joshua Bell, say—to play a fiddle tune. He can get all the notes right and yet… I mean, there’s good old-fashioned fried chicken, sweating inside a crunchy, double-dipped batter, waiting to burst forth at the…
When we sat down and thought about this, so many names popped into mind that if they were diseases, we’d be riddled. There was a time when few people mentioned Joel Harloff (Dali Wine Bar) or Brian Luscher (The Grape), but those days are fading. Michael Zeve of Sevy’s or…
