It’s that time of year again. Every January my food-perverse mind converts professional football teams into dishes as a way to explore great food from around the country. Last year we enjoyed a lively discussion as different teams jockeyed for a chance to play in the Superbowl, and I’m hoping…
Have your weekend plans locked in yet? It’s your last chance to party like it’s 2012. I’m willing to bet most of you have already ducked out of your office this Friday, but for those of you who are still tethered to your desks, here’s your weekly wrap-up. This week…
I’m a pretty big traditionalist. I throw similar dining events at my home year after year because I love revisiting food memories. It’s nice the way the smell of a certain dish evokes time spent with old friends, but the best part is introducing my time-tested traditions to new guests…
Update: I told you I’d find more bars that wont kill your finances. If you really want to throw down on New Year’s Eve, The Loon is offering up their deadly-strong drinks with no cover in Uptown. While over on the East Side of Dallas Ships Lounge is ringing in…
With only a few days left in the year, I decided to hit our reporting software and see what you guys clicked on most in 2012. The last time I did this, bikini-clad women made more than one appearance in my year-end list. This year you guys have proven yourselves…
Who knew cows liked beer? A Wallis, Texas, rancher is turning heads with the announcement of his partnership with St. Arnold Brewery. Gene Terry has been feeding his wagyu cattle a hoppy IPA brewed by the Texas-based brewery. Sadly, the cows aren’t bonging the beer, which would have resulted in…
This February I wrote a blog post about some troubling truffle experiences I encountered at a number of fine dining restaurants across Dallas. Both Private Social and Campo served me dishes garnished with black truffles that were completely flavorless — a bummer when you’ve come to know how intoxicating the…
Would you throw Grandma under the bus for a slice of meat lover’s pie? What about your Aunt Tilly? Pizza Hut is asking customers to do just that with a recent promotion that offers gift cards to those who feel they got the shaft this Christmas. The promotion offered a…
If you want to eat authentic Mexican food, certain aesthetic concessions may be required. The heart and soul of Mexican cooking is built on ground corn and guts. And while some restaurants put up a quaint facade and a freshly painted dining room, if you want to find the best…
“It’s down 175, somewhere around Lake June Road,” Nico Sanchez, the chef at Meso Maya told me about the taqueria he knew very little else about. He knew the intersection it was near, but not an address or phone number. And he knew it was only open on the weekends…
The tradition has nothing to do with my roots but I’ve made it my own. Every Christmas Day that I find myself alone, I assemble a loosely coupled family of other orphans in need of holiday plans. Some can’t work out the logistics required to navigate crowded airports and rental…
Hello? Is anyone out there? Is this thing on? It’s quiet around the Observer today. The cubes are empty and everyone is tweeting about wrestling with TWA, Greyhound and other modes of transportation. I think the holidays are in full swing, and I’m excited to jump into the fray myself,…
What. A. Year. My most notable closings post was an interesting compilation , but looking at the restaurants that have opened this year is even more illuminating. We’ve gained a lot of great restaurants. (And some not so great ones, too.) Here are some of the more notable spaces. See…
I do not know Mark Followill, but if I met him, Id buy him a taco. I’m digging on the top five taco spot he just delivered on the popular Sports Radio Station known as The Ticket. As a fellow taco lover I have to challenge a few of his…
Certainly if there’s one food genre Dallasites would defend to the bottom of a bowl of queso, it’s Tex-Mex. My blog post that lists my nine favorite spots for sour cream enchiladas and beans drew scores of comments overnight. Most either professed a support of my picks, or demanding I…
If you’re a fan of Taverna Pizzeria in Uptown, you’ll have to walk a few blocks north of their current location to enjoy their pizzas, salads and really big pork chops crowned with a fried egg. The Lombardi group just announced the restaurant would be moving to Knox Street, right…
Way out on Harry Hines Boulevard, just past the bazaar bearing the same name, Continental Liquor makes its business not only selling booze and sodas, but as a landlord too. In 1998 Maria and Roberto Velasquez rented 800 square feet from the owner and set up a small kitchen and…
If I’m writing this blog post too quickly it’s because I just got back from Ascension Coffee and I’m a very thorough journalist and I really wanted to capture a short video that demonstrates some of the characteristics of espresso and crema and it took me multiple attempts to get…
The best part of researching Soleo, the subject of this week’s review, was ducking into El Paisa, the tiny taqueria tucked into the back of a liquor store next to the Harry Hines Bazaar. This is where Maria and Roberto Velasquez started their first restaurant. Nine locations later they made…
When I reviewed Dalat this summer, I loved the concept of a late-night pho restaurant close to downtown but had problems with the consistency of the food I was served. My pho was salty one day and bland the next, and noodles that were consistently over-cooked would break apart when…
I’ve spent days stuffing my gullet, looking for something that should be relatively easy to find. It’s called a puffy taco, and apparently it’s delicious, but I can’t be sure because you can’t purchase puffy tacos here in Dallas — anywhere. The puffy taco got its start in San Antonio,…
Back in November I talked with chef Nico Sanchez about his upcoming taqueria opening in tandem with the new Meso Maya downtown. After hearing his descriptions of the space and the tacos I was excited to get down there and try them — all of them. Just after noon there…
