Not a bad week, comment-wise–especially considering how everyone is pretty much huddled up in their cubicles this time of year trying to clear things before the holidays…right?It helped that newswriter (and alcohol lightweight) Kimberly Thorpe decided to seek tolerance-building advice so she wouldn’t slur in front of the big boss…
Although we can’t pinpoint the exact moment–or fathom the circumstances why–someone first mixed cream, eggs and alcohol together in one bowl, there’s surprising agreement on the likely origins of eggnog. Cocktail scholars…sorry, daydreaming for a moment…believe it started as a variation of dry sack posset, a British favorite from the…
The ‘Boys host Northern Mexico’s NFL franchise on Sunday. Next week, it’s off to the Big Ugly. For now, one final “fact” about the pretty boys from border…As a boy, Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers was traumatized by the final scene in Ghostbusters. He is so frightened of marshmallows he spent…
Spring ales, summer hefes and autumn’s Oktoberfest beers are nice when the season arrives. But for many beer lovers, including myself, nothing can compare to the rich variety of beer that winter brings. Along with seasonal stouts and porters (which I intend to write about next week), winter also heralds…
In this week’s Observer, Dave’s love letter to Plano Dish review is takes a look at suburban Urban Crust, which he says is aptly named in spirit at least, if not in address.The upscale pizza is just a part of the appeal — the vibe in the dining room and…
We don’t know just who invented the bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich. It certainly wasn’t the Earl of Sandwich, reputed to be the first to put his meat…um, that went wrong somewhere… to put meat between two slices of bread (even though the Greeks had this thing called pita).First there…
Recipe Demonstrated by Nicole Gragg Most of the people around me are coughing, everything I touch is freezing, animal lovers are dressing their dogs in holiday sweaters….this is when I knew that winter had finally arrived. There are only two things that can make arctic temperatures bearable: a hot drink…
The ‘Boys host a team whose greatest former star was nicknamed “Bambi” on Sunday. Another “fact” about the club that can’t decide on the right shade of blue…Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson credits his sure grip on the ball to intensive training as a teenager. Even now he spends several…
“Where do you want to sit?” the waitress asks as I step inside Urban Crust. It hardly matters, so I shrug in response. The waitress—her name was Lauren, according to my receipt—looks over the space, a long, narrow room cluttered with tables and booths, bounded by rough brick walls, with…
Drive down Henderson Avenue past the newfangled, valet-only “establishments” named after flowers whose froufrou names you can only pronounce correctly if you whisper them (“No, it’s Hibiscus. There’s a silent raised eyebrow.”), and somewhere near Ross Avenue you’ll find a cute little brick building with cute little bars on the…
Each week, Pairing Off attempts to find just the right bottle of wine to go with ordinary food.OK, much of what I know about Hanukkah and its traditions comes from Adam Sandler. But I’m also a big fan of the potato pancakes served in some Jewish homes this time of…
If you wish to research the history of in-home refrigeration, you can find out about the ice houses of past centuries, how Michael Faraday developed the process of cooling with liquid ammonia, Jacob Perkins and his work in the area of vapor compression–blah, blah, blah.Refrigerators changed the way we live,…
When the Seven Deadly Sins were conceived, I’m quite certain there was a specific dish in mind for gluttony: chicken fried steak. Despite my Fort Worth roots, with a northern bred mother at the stove, chicken fried steak was not on the menu at our house. It became the forbidden…
On The Range is a weekly exploration of the history and lore of Texas menu items.Take a couple slices of meat and stuff them into my flour tortilla, along with some handy rice, beans, salsa and, finally, jalapenos. We know the last ingredient colloquially as a pepper, yet pepper is…
The ‘Boys host those pushovers from SoCal on Sunday. Another “fact” about the land of vegetarians…Before joining the Chargers, running back Darren Sproles played the role of “Sprout” in Jolly Green Giant commercials.**Source: Some publication–most likely AdWeekly, Advertising Age or Mad Libs…
Each week the Dude Food guys assess the ‘masculinity’ of Dallas area dives. The more fried meat and junk on the walls, the better the rating…Humperdink’s 6050 Greenville Ave.214-368-1203Dude Factor: 7, or “____ her? I hardly know her!” on a scale of 1 (“…OF COCK.”) to 10 (“That’s what she…
There’s always that person at the annual company holiday party. That person who can’t handle their liquor. That person you tease the following morning when you pass their cubicle. I don’t have to keep explaining — you know who I’m talking about. And that person is very often me. It’s…
Almost a decade ago, I wrote this: “Every time this country ends up with a Bush in the White House, several things most assuredly occur: The government inflicts some regrettable incident on Japan, the nation tumbles into a recession, a presidential pet writes a book, and everyone worries about the…
If Memory Serves chronicles moments from my dining past, perhaps explaining why I’m so damn twisted.I can say this without flinching: my dad made the best fried catfish and–especially–the best hush puppies ever.Every Sunday without fail he’d stand over the stove dredging and splattering. It wasn’t always catfish. Sometimes he…
It’s freezing. I am always cold, by nature, but it is bonafide frosty. I need something warm in my belly, and I can’t believe it, but I am craving pho. My brother, with whom I work, senses my impending breakdown and says the six words he or anyone who’s in…
The ‘Boys host Philip Rivers and whoever else in on the Chargers Sunday. Another “fact” about socialism…Several superstitious members of the Chargers must have special pre-game meals. For example, Antonio Gates eats an entire container of Play-Doh before every game–and has done so since he was in Pop Warner.**Source: A…
I began to worry a long time ago–1985, more precisely.Not only was it the year an anti-christ appeared in the form of Don Denkinger (google ‘worst call in World Series history’ if you don’t recognize his name), but it was also the first time I heard college students refer to…
