There’s a little known yet painfully true secret amongst locals about central Arlington: “Division Street, it’s not just for bums and hookers anymore.” A perfect new example of this just off Division on Mesquite Street is The Grease Monkey Burger Shop, which is about a mile and half from Cowboys…
The first round of Oktoberbest 2011 is halfway over, with a couple of surprising upsets and a couple of shocking, bit-spitting failures by favored programs to even make the sweet 16. (Well, actually, they’re just too hard to find in stores, but that doesn’t quite have the same drama.)Plano Craft…
Greek Fest was a plate-smashing success this weekend. Saturday around noon there was a sizable but fast moving line that ushered people into a courtyard that reeked of savory, delicious lamb. The weather was warm, but there was a stiff breeze and a tent provided some shade for those who…
Meso Maya, the new Mexican restaurant at Preston and Forrest, describes its food as an “adventure into the roots of regional Mexican food.” Don’t let that scare you off, though. No, the plates aren’t covered in melted orange cheese, but I think we can agree Dallas has already got that…
This week in food blogs, some special people ate special meals, Dallas placed ahead of Anchorage but behind everywhere else, and someone finally thought to stick corndogs in cocktails. Read on. City of Ate Scott Reitz decides Wild Salsa is decent for its hit-or-miss selection of tacos, passable lamb shank…
The above photo, which forced this author to change his shorts after viewing, is the first shot of a big, food-porny slide show our photographer Sara Kerens brought covering the big grilled cheese of Dallas. Sara stopped by The Porch (which features the port salute, provolone and aged cheddar phenomenon…
There will be people watching at Private Social tonight. A private VIP party planned as a precursor to tomorrow’s grand opening, promises a red carpet and a number of local and National stars. Tony Romo and his wife are listed as attendees, confirming collapsed lung-age is no big thing–if he…
On the heels of Leslie Brenner’s hyper-delicious Italian food photo orgy, news of another Italian restaurant has landed in my in-box. Francesco Farris will open Zio Cecio Cucina Italiana next month on Lovers Lane, just west of Neighborhood Services, Bijoux, and Fireside pies. The restaurant will feature a fettuccine bolognese,…
Throughout movie and television history, there have been fake foods and drinks that have given us the urge to punch through our TVs and force-feed the goods into our faces. Here we stroll through of our favorite faux products.Big Kahuna BurgerScrew In-N-Out, this is the burger chain we really want…
Last night a bartender at the Blue Goose Cantina on Greenville Avenue reached a milestone that not too many can claim. Juan Valdez, who has worked the there for 25 years, served his one millionth margarita. About 10 minutes after they posted the news on their Facebook page, I rang…
The other day I drove past The Free Man Cajun Cafe & Lounge in Deep Ellum, where Sol’s Taco Lounge used to be at 2626 Commerce, and later Googled them to see what the buzz was. One reviewer wrote that they had the best bread pudding she’d ever had. Pfffft!…
Travel + Leisure readers recently voted on their favorite foodie cities in America. Dallas clocked in at number 32, ahead of only Orlando, Vegas and Anchorage and behind San Antonio (10), Austin (15) and Houston (24), and more or less every other city of note. According to Travel + Leisure:…
Deep Ellum has always been a music hub; what’s been missing is good food. Lemongrass and Local have been producing decent eats for some time, and Uncle Uber’s Sammich Shop is a welcome addition to the ‘hood, but for the most part Elm, Commerce and Main streets have catered to…
This year, Denise Garza (with her sister Norma and her niece Roxanne) made it to the second round of the Big Tex Choice Awards with Heavenly Deep-Fried Brownies. While the concept of frying a brownie isn’t completely new to this fair (last year, Abel Gonzales Jr. made it to the…
We’re mostly savory animals at the Observer. We like our fried things, cheeses and big burgers. In the last year, we’ve sent food photographers to shoot Dallas’ meats, tacos and chicken-topped waffles. Lately, however, we’re developing a sweet tooth. It’s probably caused by the fact that we sent crack photographer…
Recently we told you all about Ben & Jerry’s new ice cream Schweddy Balls, which is based on the SNL skit featuring Alec Baldwin. Well, One Million Moms, a project of the American Family Association, which promotes “the biblical ethic of decency in American society with primary emphasis on TV…
Reza Anavarian, originally from Azerbaijan, flies to Georgia this weekend for an ESI Ironman Competition, which includes a 1.2-mile swim, a 56-mile bike ride and a 13.1-mile jog through beautiful downtown Augusta. In addition to conditioning for that insanity, he’s also training at the Maple Avenue Boxing Gym to get…
Wild Salsa isn’t your standard Mexican-American restaurant. It’s not buried in a suburban strip mall but perched smack in the middle of downtown, across from the lush grass, sculptures and dog walkers of Main Street Garden. There’s also an air of polish here that might be missing from your salsa-drenched…
After weeks of gorging on tacos, pizzas, burgers and sushi, plus similarly indulgent consumption of beer and booze, the Observer’s Best of Dallas 2011 issue is here. Want to know who’s got the best pizza pie or the best hangover cure in Dallas? Check out our 2011 Best of Dallas…
Oh Tex Mex, must you be such a gut bomb? The heavy cream sauces, beans laden with lard and cheese cheese cheese. I’ve eaten at a few local spots, and while the selection in Dallas is undoubtedly better than other cities, it’s still Tex-Mex. It’s still a little boring. I…
Finally time to see how your tax dollars were put to work by Bravo and its Magical Elves. As you’ll recall, we reported back in July that Governor Rick Perry’s office, that bastion of small government, spent $400,000 to promote the state’s brand in the upcoming and Texas-themed season of…
Oh, these fried praline sweet potato poppers weren’t finalists in this year’s Big Tex Choice Awards? That makes total sense. TO NOBODY!!!!!! Kyle Wall, inventor of these fried lovelies, said that he guessed fair officials thought this idea “wasn’t weird enough to be in the competition.” I could almost praline…
