Ah, tips. The bellwether of decency when eating out. That fickle territory where the customer squares up with a server. Or not. Big life decisions are based on tips. Bosses, first dates, in-laws want to know: What did they tip? And based on that slide across the table, is this…
Although her face was covered by her mask, Natasha DeHart’s eyes showed how she felt. The message on the mask says the rest: Get Bendt. On the day the second shutdown in Texas was announced, she “was at about a 10-out-of-10 anger level all day,” she says. DeHart is the…
It’s a lousy feeling when something you loved as a kid turns out to be terrible or mediocre at best when you experience it as an adult. But there’s nothing like that to worry about with Jack’s fries and an ice-cold milkshake. The perfectly seasoned french fries from Burger House…
A West End favorite has set up its second shop in the suburbs. Founded by Joe Groves and chef Russell Mertz, Ellen’s offers Southern cuisine and diner food, inspired by Groves’ mother, Ellen. And it’s now open in Allen. Ellen’s first opened in downtown Dallas eight years ago with 32…
Restaurants are keeping their doors open to stay afloat through the coronavirus pandemic, but not everyone wants to go through those doors to eat, no matter how much they love their neighborhood spots. For those who choose to take a step beyond takeout and dine at a restaurant, patios are…
Just two weeks before the ninth annual Big Texas Beer Fest’s scheduled date of March 27, Chad and Nellie Montgomery, the husband-and-wife team who founded the event, postponed it until July. They didn’t know at the time that it was the first of many challenges they’d face trying to run…
Sylvan Thirty was calm and quiet on a recent sun-soaked Saturday morning, which was a shame because in terms of outdoor seating in a busy urban center, it’s a peaceful space. There are even bocce ball courts. I never noticed them before; I was probably too busy running around. But,…
The fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic touches everything. Restaurants are particularly hit hard. Making things worse, their plight sets off a chain reaction in the food industry. As long as restaurants continue to struggle through the crisis, so too will the farms that supply them, leaving an uncertain future for…
Here’s your roundup of restaurants that have recently opened and closed in Dallas and the surrounding cities. Peggy Sue’s BBQ has closed, CultureMap reports. It’s been an institution in the Park Cities for its barbecue in Snider Plaza. Rumors were about last fall for a concept to take over the…
For months, Dallas awaited the opening of a Shug’s Bagels & More, a New York bagel shop promising to deliver “the bagel that Dallas deserves.” Dallasites have long lamented the lack of “real” bagels in the city, with chains such as Einstein’s accounting for most of our bagel options. Shug’s…
It was an audacious move, honestly. Luring pandemic-weary citizens with Flamin’ Hot Cheetos beer and corn dogs at noon on a Wednesday, during prime Zoom call time. Regardless, Martin House Brewing Co. in Fort Worth was up to more of their creative shenanigans with the release of Fiery Crunchy Cheesie…
Most of the time the calculus of eating a store-bought, frozen pizza versus delivery is, well, easy. Order in. But in these times what was a simple equation has gotten more complex. The variables of cost, wait time and the risk of receiving a mediocre pizza remain familiar. But now,…
The statuses of restaurants are changing regularly, and we’re here to provide an update to the Top 100 Restaurants a list developed by Observer critic Brian Reinhart for 2020. We will do our best to keep this list up to date (feel free to email us those changes), and we’ll provide…
If you’ve have any type of vested interest in a bar, either as a gin and tonic aficionado or stockholder, then that pain you feel in your neck isn’t a weird symptom you need to Google. Rather, it’s whiplash from trying to keep up with codes, compliance and protocol changes…
Perry’s take on a Godfather cocktail will have you saying, “Leave the gun, take the cocktail.”
Sweet treats from Wackym’s Kitchen are seemingly everywhere, including the Dallas Farmers Market, Albertsons and Central Market. But these light, crisp cookies with 39 flavors are local, starting just 12 years ago by the efforts of Paul Wackym. Wackym, 59, founded the business in the fall of 2008, during the…
It may be safe to say many of us had more ice cream treats as kids than we do as adults: Push-pops (when I was a kid the Flinstones were on these for some reason), those cones with vanilla ice cream and that nut-studded chocolate shell on top and ice…
The gas station adjacent to Trinity Groves has had some updating in the small kitchen inside of it. For one, there’s a shiny new spit rotating trompo meat. Nancy Reza has opened Taqueria El Arquito inside Sunny Food Mart with the help of her siblings, all of whom come from…
Along with seemingly every other event this year, the Dallas Observer’s Iron Fork food celebration will go virtual. It’s the 10th year for the event many love, and it’s not holding back just because people won’t fill Fair Park as usual. Chef Kent Rathbun will be our host while attendees…
In 2017, critic Brian Reinhart raved about the wonderful Vietnamese food we could get at Lá Me Restaurant in Northeast Dallas. Three years and a pandemic later, we thankfully can still get these flavors, ones that easily transport in Styrofoam boxes to go. Starting out with the egg rolls is…
About a decade ago, the local craft brewing scene ignited like a flambé, and it hasn’t simmered down much since. It was only in 2011 that both Deep Ellum and Peticolas brewing companies poured their first pints. According to the Brewers Association, in that year there were 59 craft breweries…
Old Hag’s Pizza & Pasta in Oak Cliff wants to be clear about something. And you’ll absolutely be clear about it by the time you sign your receipt. For certain. Just wait. After calling in an order recently, I knew I wanted the North OC pizza, because I like to…
