When our web editor, Nick Rallo, asked me to put together a list of the best food photos I took this year I jumped on the opportunity. “Piece of cake!” I said to him, or maybe that was in my head, but either way I was stoked. I didn’t realize…
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…
Welcome to another episode of Top Chef: Seattle, during which nothing really happens that is all that interesting. Read: Tesar and Valentine don’t fight, make out or even rap battle. We’re not asking for much, you guys — just one freaking dance off, one table flip, one tense face-to-face meeting…
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…
This week, out resident smoke-addicted Englishman Gavin visits Fat Cow BBQ and ends up writing about sex, which we notice is cropping up more and more in his posts. Frankly, we’re getting a little concerned about what all this barbecue-love is doing to him psychologically. Luckily, if he ever returns…
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…
1. National Doughnut Day With Hypnotic Doughnut’s new advertising campaign, every day is doughnut day for the north side window seats at the Observer offices. Constantly gazing at this sign has proven… well, nothing really. Just that we pity the fools on low-carb diets. Back in June of this year,…
Another busy month has come and gone and with it a handful of restaurants have opened. Read on for the full list and be sure to share tips about new and/or dead restaurants in the comments section below or at dish@dallasobserver.com. Openings: Ascension Coffee (1621 Oak Lawn Ave.): The new…
In addition to our aforementioned love affair with bacon, many other great things befell our city this year. In an attempt to be a spot-on “reporter” for all culinary things that fall under the subheadings of lowbrow, redonkulous or strange, I find myself on the cutting edge of nothing really…
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…
The year 2012 very well may go down as the year bacon got knighted. Or killed. Not sure which. Regardless, for better or worse, America had a clamorous affair with bacon this year. No longer a breakfast side item, bacon is now a main course, also a condiment, vodka, a…
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…
Next to where the old Dave & Busters was laid to rest, lies Nazca Kitchen, a bright and colorful beacon of hope for anyone looking for a taste of healthy, fresh and flavorful foods with South American roots. Walking in, you’ll notice the space’s lightness; there’s even a dining room…
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…
If you guessed that Danyele McPherson would get kicked off of Top Chef for flipping the double bird at Gail Simmons and punching Joshua Valentine in his Valentines after Hulk-smashing the entire Top Chef kitchen, you’d be almost right. The scene actually went like this: She made a dish using…
Kevin Blessing has been the Director of Food Services at Central Market for the past nine years. I called him up today to chat about how things are going at the stores just a few days before the biggest eating day of the year. So, are you busy? Is everyone…
In Latin, the word simulacrum means “likeness” or “similarity.” It’s a term often used by philosophers and social theorists (see: Baudrillard) to exemplify the hyper-real. To boil it down: a simulacrum can often be a perverted version of reality. See also: The 10 Worst Fast Food Trends of 2012 So,…
