Yesterday I was back at La Banqueta for lunch. While I was waiting for my plate of suadero tacos, I chatted with a few guys who’d stopped in to give the place a try. One of the gentlemen had obviously fallen in love with La Banqueta’s delicious street tacos previously,…
This Saturday is the third annual North Texas Beer and Wine Festival at the Irving Convention Center from 2 to 7 p.m. Organizer Darrell Faircloth started this event three years ago, back in the old days when craft beer festivals were unheard of. Most of the local North Texas brewers…
NOSH Euro Bistro in Plano has closed. The restaurant confirmed on its Facebook page on Wednesday with a message, “Thank you for all of your support!” along with a picture of owner Avner Samuel sort of smiling. He looks dapper in bright sweater. I suppose the message is, “I’m good,…
And so we come to the full-bellied end of another Iron Fork. Hope you had a lot of great bites. We sure did (sweet fancy Christmas, did you have the sausage orgy from Kuby’s?). Anyway, a few days ago, we asked you to hash tag us on Instagram #IronForkDallas and…
Hopefully you made it to Iron Fork last night. Hopefully you dressed lightly. While massive blowers at the front of the venue did their best, the back of the Dallas Contemporary was quite warm. I’m half convinced that Matt McCallister’s sweat was the magical ingredient that propelled the young chef…
The recipe for Craft and Growler’s existence was simple. Husband and wife owners Kevin Afghani and Catherine Kinslow fell in love with the recently exploding local craft beer movement in Dallas — so much so that they personally invested in the Deep Ellum Brewing Co. as it got off the…
To phrases like jumbo shrimp and government intelligence, Dallas is adding a new oxymoron: permanent pop-up. Kitchen LTO (Limited Time Offer) is slated to open later this summer at Trinity Groves in West Dallas. The gimmick here is that Kitchen LTO won’t offer a singular dining experience, but instead a…
There’s a bit of bad news for raw milk drinkers. You’ll have to continue the trips out to the farm for your creamy elixir fix. Currently Texas law stipulates that raw milk can only be purchased on the farms where it is produced. A bill introduced this legislative session, HB…
The local beer scene needed a place like Craft and Growler. Until husband and wife owners Kevin Afghani and Catherine Kinslow opened up their beer filling station in Fair Park, the only place you could get many locally brewed beers was at a bar. See also: Patent Pending at Craft…
Wednesday, May 8 It’s a culinary showdown at the Dallas Contemporary as Scott Romano battles Matt McCallister of FT-33 in the Iron Fork chef challenge. The King Bucks will perform as guests (you!) sample food from different restaurants along with wine, beer and cocktails. Tickets are on sale at observerironfork.com…
The state health department just released a warning for Texan seafood lovers. Fish examined from the northwestern Gulf of Mexico contained mercury at concentrations that exceed health guidelines. That means if you’re pregnant (or even thinking about it) or under the age of 12 — no more wahoo for you…
Every now and then Food & Think, the edacious blog of Smithsonian Magazine, delves deep into the history of some food thing and the results are usually good. Just a few weeks ago they devoted a column to the history of the kolache in Texas. Today they tackle the history…
Jack Mac’s Swill and Grill opened on Preston Road in North Dallas last year, right on the heels of the explosion in the local craft beer movement. Jack and Amy MacDonald’s restaurant has a strong local focus that supports not only Texas breweries, but wineries and distilleries as well. The…
The East Hampton Sandwich Co. is sailing its upscale nautical-themed sandwich shop northward to the Shops at Legacy in Plano. The first spot, in University Park’s Snider Plaza, opened last fall. Founder Hunter Pond wanted to bring the sandwiches he found while vacationing in northeast to the Dallas area. Pond,…
A few weeks ago I mentioned to my editor a post about Bud’s new flavor of the season, Straw-Ber-Rtia. He said something like, “Not so much, LDD. You’ll need to drink it and tell us about it, not just that it’s happened.” (Editor’s note: Indulging a bent for mild sadism…
Until last summer, low-income people who received federal assistance to purchase nutritious food could use their benefits to buy a Pepsi from the local corner store. A fresh bell pepper at the Dallas Farmers Market, however, was off limits. The Dallas Farmers Market administration couldn’t be bothered with the card…
Buddy Cramer, co-owner of Katy Trail Ice House, and his investment group have officially taken over the old Bandito’s spot in West Plano. We’ve sort of already been teased with this, as Scott Reitz reported a year ago on the Bandito’s Tex-Mex Ice House project. That is officially done now…
It’s almost here. This Wednesday our Iron Fork competition and food celebration will descend on the Design District. If you attended our Artopia event you’ll remember the Dallas Contemporary as a top-notch venue with plenty of space for exploration. We’re excited to fill the same venue with more than 30…
“Gather ye rosebuds while ye may,” wrote Herrick. Or eat. We sort of like eating more than gardening to celebrate the beginning, or ending, of any season. And, if you’ve made it out to the Ballpark in Arlington for some springtime baseball, you’ve certainly had plenty to keep you busy…
Simple in premise but with endless variations in execution, behold the nacho. When done properly, a plate of nachos becomes an act of excavation, a work of edible archaeology. We set out to explore some of the more interesting nachos in and around Dallas, and so we present the Nachodyssey…
Alice Laussade is now officially the funniest freakin’ food journalist in America. The James Beard Foundation just said so tonight at its 2013 food journalism awards. We knew this already, of course, still it’s nice to hear from other people. Or as Alice put it on Twitter: “Everyone please take…
We had a busy week at the CoA. Scott Reitz endured some bad karaoke at Pop Diner at in Uptown. No matter what the T-shirts may say, pulling off good food is sometimes easier said then done. Unless you’re drunk, then who cares? Exactly … We covered some solid Cinco…
