The Taste of Dallas opens tomorrow for three days of ‘too hot to eat anything,’ ‘I’ve had enough of this cover band,’ ‘what’s Darryl Dawkins doing over there’ fun.Organizers bill it as the largest free festival in Texas–which, of course, means it costs you nothing to walk around (unlike other…
I can only gather and repeat admonitions based upon my own experiences at a particular restaurant. For that reason, I will never return to Lemongrass unless work demands a revisit. This statement should not, however, be read as a condemnation of the place. It’s just clear from a few meals…
Each week, Pairing Off attempts to find just the right bottle of wine to go with ordinary food.Maybe I’m jumping the gun on this. Then again, writing a corn dog piece around state fair time seems far too cliche.So what the hell–it’s summer, the season of food on a stick,…
Actually, you pay nothing extra for a subscription to Hot off the Grill, our email newsletter. That makes it a…scratch that–our marketing gang just said it’s a whole lot for nothing, not what I originally wrote. And believe me, you don’t argue with marketing. Not if you don’t like lengthy…
I’m curious about the thought process restaurateurs go through when plotting their web presence. ‘A picture, logo and marketing blurb on the main page. Maybe a link to the menu. Ooh–how ’bout a photo gallery. OK, let’s stick the address here under “contact” so it’s out of the way. Think…
Does California’s storied burger chain have it in for Dallas? Unfair Park has the answer…for the time being…
Go Go Burger6129 Main St., Frisco214-472-2715Cute, the place is cute. So much so that it has a teenage girl atmosphere about it.In fact, five suburban kids sat gossiping behind me last time out. And I must say, teenage life in Frisco is really, really scandalous. Their hushed innuendos repeatedly burst…
We’re back after technical difficulties left unspecified by those who deal with such things. Bunch of posts coming…
The annual study detailing America’s growing girth came out this week–and guess what? Once again, more buttons popped again this year.Well, I only glanced at the piece. Really, the numbers seem hollow after repeated startling claims that 60 plus percent of this country’s adult population really tipped the scales, issued…
In the musical 1776, Stephen “Old Grape and Guts” Hopkins bursts into the Continental Congress’ meeting room each morning demanding rum before getting down to the day’s business. Of course, there may have been some license taken with his character, for John Adams claimed in later writings that the aged…
There’s a timeworn bit of wisdom regarding too many cooks in the kitchen. They get in each other’s way, argue over the proper interpretation of recipes, bark countermanding orders to staff and generally muck things up royally—or so the story goes. Lately, however, accomplished chefs have been joining forces with…
Carolina’s Mexican Cuisine3950 Rosemeade469-568-0988The not-so-prosperous little shopping strip Carolina Galvan ex-Rodriguez chose for one of her promised slew of new restaurants doesn’t scream “I’m gonna crush those Mi Cocina bastards.”You think it would, but it doesn’t.Inside Carolina’s flashes some interest, appearing as either a hip industrial lounge or upscale cafeteria,…
A lot of renovation going on at a vacant site on Trinity Mills and the Tollway. Seems a new Norma’s Cafe is coming to the Maguire’s-Sullivan’s-Cape Buffalo cluster. Looks like the crew is working under some kind of deadline pressure…..
Word on the street has Hotel Belmont’s Cliff Cafe shuttering its doors for a couple of months while Bolsa partners Chris Zielke and Christopher Jeffers renovate the space.Their plan? Turn Cliff Cafe (or whatever they end up calling it) into a semi-upscale barbecue joint, adhering loosely to Bolsa’s local and…
Once again we pause to reflect upon the previous three months, in which we paired wine with Cheez Its, nachos from 7-Eleven, frozen taquitos and other delicacies. Twice during this span we encountered nearly inedible items. But not once did our intrepid graphic artist, Patrick Michels, flinch. Not even when…
Word that Sambuca decided to shutter their Addison location stirred little reaction. It had been relegated to the ranks of karaoke bar, after all. Then Omega’s locked up and Fedora appeared to follow suit. Suddenly it looked as if Dallas had hit the skids.Oh, the recession cut into profit margins…
Just this morning I was lounging around, sipping coffee, perusing the news when a friendly reminder from the folks in marketing came crashing through the window. Kind of them, I thought, before decided to boot up the computer and mention Hot off the Grill, our weekly email newsletter. If you…
Programs on Food Network and Bravo and such have become a kind of obsession with some folks. But as current hot shows lose their sizzle and new stars emerge, will we remember Throwdown, Top Chef and the like?Certain shows remain in our thoughts, however, popping to mind at odd moments…
Not that I socialize much, but when I returned from my stint in Europe, two questions–approaching from different perspectives, but essentially the same–kept popping up in conversation: “are you glad to be back?” and “do you miss it?”Neither is easy to answer. Every city has its own set of positives…
Kenny’s Burger Joint1377 Legacy Dr. (Stonebriar Commons)Frisco214-618-8001One thing about Kenny’s really, truly irked me.Years ago, chef Kenny Bowers served batch after batch of fantastic French fries at his Addison restaurant. Blanched and finished in beef tallow, they were crisp, rich and reminiscent in flavor of McDonald’s fries from the 60’s…
At the end of March it looked as if Quesa-D-Ya’s and its 94 points would stay on top all year long. Then, two weeks into this quarter, a City of Ate staffer ordered from Izmir Market.Bye-bye, Quesa-D-Ya’s. At least until the playoffs.For the most part, May-June proved to be strong…
Moonshine has a reputation not always deserved. Some people, after all, take pride in their craft, however illicit.Yeah, some of it reeks of burnt quinine and poisonous residue. The word brings to mind hardened heroes like Junior Johnson and others hauling jars of dubious spirit. And it’s difficult not to…
