Just why would anyone drive all the way to Rockwall? I mean, unless they happen to be stuck to a mortgage there. Yeah, there’s the big reservoir, but if you venture out on the water some weekend, you’re probably not decked out in your Dallas clubbing best, right? So you’d…
So they lost chef what’s-his-name, big deal. An army of line cooks and talented sous chef types continue to do the same work–perhaps even better, now that there’s more balance in the kitchen. Not too long ago, the famed restaurant issued a new three-course lunch for 29 bucks. That’s in…
Chicken salad is of great cultural significance. Unlike omelets, which require a measure of creative destruction–can’t make one ‘without breaking a few eggs’ speaks to enduring human progress, a can-do attitude, let’s soldier on and get the job done, that sort of thing–the chicken salad idiom allows us room for…
Don’t know if the PR person was inspired by the building itself or by thoughts of old Wolfy reading this, but a line in a press release on behalf of Five-Sixty assures us that, thanks to their extensive wine collection, they now “will blow even the toughest critic.”OK–pulling the line…
Moments ago a couple of bruisers from marketing showed up. They’re a bit clumsy, they told me. Sometimes they break things–and with that, a pair of scissors they carried accidentally ripped through a priceless velvet Elvis (the one with a tear rolling down his cheek).Joke’s on them: I was already…
Six months (plus a couple) into City of Ate and I’m still trying to figure out blogging. In the past couple of months, we’ve also added twitter–fortunately handed to someone else, since my response to the first mention of it was along the lines of ‘I’ve read about it in…
Bongos Cantina3625 W. Northwest Hwy.214-484-9384No apostrophe in the name, as far as I can tell. The new-ish spot draws its moniker either from the string of bongos doubling as bar stools or the rhythm of a Latin American beach or…something.Maybe the owners just like the name.I should have asked, as…
Each week in ‘Knockers’ we order from a different delivery restaurant, assessing their efficiency and keeping a running score. Oriental Lite Restaurant14925 Midway, Addison972-788-2288Promised delivery time: 45 minutesActual delivery time: 31 minutesScoring:Quick and easy ordering: 6Surprisingly extensive delivery area: 12Beating promised delivery time by 14 minutes in spite of delivery…
Seems like every week someone questions the Dallas Morning News star rating system. This morning, DMN critic Leslie Brenner posted a thoughtful discussion of its inner workings on their blog. But I wonder if stars will confuse or annoy readers, no matter what.For instance, if you lump every restaurant into…
With the occasional exception of Champagne, most Americans forgo traditional aperitifs before dinner.OK, I can see waving away vermouth and some of the other ancient liqueurs. But in the right place–say a patio at happy hour or a table at some French restaurant–the seemingly forgotten Kir always calls out.I say…
Not gonna lie–it’s rather a difficult task, placing these in an order we’re completely happy with. Preferences for size, atmosphere and noise level of a patio can change rather abruptly, after all. And factors such as cloud cover dictate whether it’s comfortable to sit outside of Social House or under…
I Orchid1837 W. FrankfordCarrollton972-242-4955Stripped bare of its old Agave Azul comfort, the space housing I Orchid now looks like a warehouse which several unimaginative factory laborers engaged in a design on a dime feud, one intent on setting up a pub, another a white tablecloth restaurant, the third interested in…
Some months ago, Abraham Salum faced a couple of moderately serious problems. Business slipped, first of all, as the recession began to squeeze diners—an issue that he might deal with to some extent if he addressed the second concern. “Some people said they would love to come in on Mondays…
Each week, Pairing Off attempts to find just the right bottle of wine to go with ordinary food.I’ve commented already about the quick-service seafood chain’s diabolical attempt to add a few years to my life, at least on paper. But the store I visited for this week’s wine pairing also…
So I was at Long John Silver’s–for a story–waiting for my fried sampler to appear. I glanced at the bill and saw this: “10% SENIOR DISC.”But…but…um…Punk kids who work in fast food these days, 47 is not old. Sure there’s a little gray around the temples. That’s ’cause my office…
We’ve had technical issues on City of Ate all morning (recently solved), so Robert Wilonsky was kind enough to run news of Carolina Galvan-formerly Rodriguez’s Taco Mundo over at Unfair Park. Read all about it here…
Uptown Restaurant GM Is Out To Save The Planet, As Much As Possible When Angela Birt signed on as general manager for State & Allen Lounge, she saw waste everywhere.Not extraordinary amounts of it, mind you–just the usual run on materials every restaurant goes through. “We use so much as…
You know, it’s easy to post complimentary copy about Hot off the Grill, our weekly email newsletter–and not just because the marketing department hired former Blackwater guards to follow us around until we post said complimentary copy, either. We just like the idea of one quick memo filling us in…
I’ve never quite understood why some people choose to eat dinner at the bar.Not talking about finger foods here, but full meals: steak, burgers, burritos or whatever, depending on the restaurant. Yeah, I understand the feeling of self-consciousness suffered by guests sitting alone in a crowded dining room. Is it…
Cock & Bull6330 Gaston214-841-9111I missed out on about three years of American culture (i.e., reality television or programs hosted by former reality “stars”), so the folks at Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives may have featured the little Lakewood institution. If not, it merely adds to my conviction that the show is…
Over at Unfair Park, Robert “Alan Peppard” Wilonsky spots David Byrne out on the town. Celebs have to eat and drink sometime. And when they do…..
No matter where, when or what topic, a few readers always seem to interpret ‘overrated’ as ‘gut-wrenchingly bad.’ But our list of the 10 most overrated restaurants in Dallas includes several we heartily recommend to visitors. And not a single one of them–with maybe one or two exceptions–would be considered…
