Gopal Vegetarian Restaurant sits right off State Highway 75 in Richardson and is the definition of a hole in the wall. Open since 1991, it serves South and West Indian food. Gopal is small and clean; there are no more than 12 tables. Ambiance and decorating are clearly not a…
The stretch of Cedar Springs between the Dallas North Tollway and Oak Lawn Avenue — known colloquially as the Strip or Dallas’ robust gayborhood filled with LGBT-owned and LGBT-friendly businesses — is about to get a new but familiar taco spot: Taqueria La Ventana. The fast-casual local taco joint opens…
Shops in the Bishop Arts District will open their doors to the booze-laden once more as First Thursdays and Wine Walk return to the district. This event is perfect for the shopper whose resveratrol levels could use a little pick-me-up. That’s right: alcohol-induced candle-buying is nigh. For $20 ($25 day…
Dallas might not exactly come to mind when you think of elaborate, over-the-top cakes, but after this new Food Network show airs, maybe it will be. Dallas Cakes, which premieres at 9:30 p.m. April 30, follows “the best Dallas-area bakers as they transform their clientele’s wildest imaginations into extraordinary customized…
Oh my God. Those were the three words Brent Reaves used to describe the way he felt when his family business — Smokey John’s BBQ — went up in smoke. On Sept. 9, the barbecue joint at 1820 W. Mockingbird Lane caught fire. Brent’s brother and co-owner, Juan Reaves, remembers…
For a restaurant that opened over a decade ago, Nonna still feels like a secret. It hovers on the edges of the spotlight, watching as newer openings and other Dallas favorites steal our attention. Its website hails from an era of the internet when people thought it was a good…
We’re just a couple of weeks away from Iron Fork, the annual Dallas Observer food event that brings together some of Dallas’ best restaurants for a night of food and drink sampling coupled with a live cooking competition. From 7-10 p.m. Wednesday, April 25, Centennial Hall at Fair Park will…
There are four items on the menu at Sky Rocket Burger: A single, double, and triple cheeseburger and a grilled cheese. On Scott and Tio Wagner’s 4-foot griddle, there’s little room for anything else. The restaurant’s walls are have little more than a coat of white paint: Photos of their…
Many Dallas-area restaurants fancy themselves unique, but only a handful serve foods that you truly cannot get anywhere else in town. When we set out to create a list of dishes and cuisines served at only one restaurant, we didn’t realize how hard it would be. Conversations like this kept…
It’s always brunch time at Edith’s French Bistro. That’s all you need to know, right? Edith’s opened last summer in the former Rockfish Seafood Grill space in Mockingbird Station. Edith Ferreyro got her start running an at-home bakery. Trained by a French master pastry chef, she became known for her…
At the risk of stirring up bitter memories of the last time the Observer wrote about a chain restaurant serving Mexican-inspired food (for the record, the editor of the Observer is a regular at El Fenix), allow us to tell you about La Nueva de Zacetecas. It’s a chain of…
If you can’t get enough of the aesthetics of the Statler, you now have another excuse to stand in that beautiful elevator lobby. Waterproof, a casual lounge with cocktails, is open, offering a nice view of downtown from the 19th floor. On the inside, tiny lights cover the dark ceiling, creating a…
We’re starting to realize that half the reason people love beach vacations is that they finally can (without being judged harshly) order frozen daiquiris. There’s just something that feels right with one beside a pool or on a cruise or, frankly, when you’re in any other city. Alice, one of…
The plain exterior of the family-owned Candelaria’s Bakery on Gus Thomasson Road in Mesquite doesn’t let on to the magic that happens inside. Even walking into the shop, nestled between an elementary school and an event center, all you’ll find is a modest glass case on the right filled with a handful of sweet…
Make like Oda Nobunaga and head to Saint Ann Restaurant & Bar for an evening of cocktails and samurai education. After you grab a cocktail from the bar, head upstairs for an after-hours tour of The Samurai Collection of Japanese armor. The cost to attend is $10. What it be:…
The bunny is coming! Jesus is risen! Find the eggs! Easter can be so confusing. What isn’t in question: It’s time to hurry and plan that obligatory spring family meal that probably also incorporates copious amounts of ham because it’s not a Passover seder. Whether one celebrates Jesus’ rising or…
Jimmy Niwa turns the knob, and the grill in the center of the table roars to life. Fire licks below the iron grate. A steaming bowl is walked to the table, and Niwa lights up. Buta kakuni, a stew of pork belly that’s been tenderized in rich, sweet-salty soy ginger,…
Urban Alchemy Coffee + Wine Bar is a recent addition to downtown Arlington. It opened in February behind Shipley Do-Nuts, near the University of Texas at Arlington campus. Owner Tony Rutigliano ran the Downtown Arlington Management Corp. for six years, and his work there led him to open Urban Alchemy…
If a restaurant is full, that probably means everyone likes it. If the place is empty, that probably means nobody likes it. This was the basic test my family followed when I was a kid and we went on road trips. Since the internet was not overflowing with opinionated amateur…
As fans of bourbon and barbecue, we like the premise of Barrel & Bones, the new smokehouse and cocktail spot in The Colony. We first spied the restaurant last year when we were checking out The Shacks at Austin Ranch across the street. The food and drink photography on B&B’s…
Host a straw poll that asks what go-to spot Dallas chefs hit for cheeseburgers in the area, and you are likely to hear Off-Site Kitchen as a quick response. At least a handful of chefs in the past year have conveyed this choice in interviews. It makes sense from the standpoint…
For those who just can’t get enough Peeps or Easter spirit, there’s a beer for you. And maybe for others, if you like sweet marshmallows and glitter in your drinks. The Collective Brewing Project is partnering with Taps and Caps, and they’re promising this brew will be more than just…
