If Memory Serves chronicles moments from my dining past, perhaps explaining why I’m so damn warped.Even in tough economic times, working Americans take fewer vacation days than any other people on earth–although I believe this oft-cited bit of information ignores farmers eking out a living on the Sahara’s fringes and…
The ‘Boys host the team from the wrong side of the bay on Thanksgiving. Another “fact” about the witless rabble…When traveling, the Raiders go to restaurants as a team–not as a show of unity, but because only defensive lineman Desmond Bryant, a Harvard grad, knows how to read.**Source: The Raiders…
When it comes to movie holidays, Thanksgiving usually takes a back seat to that overplayed holiday in December. The one with the elves. The one that rhymes with “isthmus.” (Sort of.) But why the second-class status, Thanksgiving? The holiday’s got all the same potential for family chaos, waxing moral on…
It has been a difficult year so far, at least for many people. We’ve dealt with a media blitz over Sarah Clampett’s new book, a couple of bozos named Jon and Kate, the continuing presence of Oprah…oh, and that economy thing.Still, there are many things to be thankful for this…
Each week in ‘Knockers’ we order from a different delivery restaurant, assessing their efficiency and keeping a running score.Oliver’s Eatery 4727 Frankford Rd972-818-5445Promised Delivery Time: 25 minutes Actual Delivery Time: 15 minutes Scoring Summary:Speed Racer type delivery: 40 Extra crackers for chili: 20 Falling in love over the phone: 15…
Amazing that Mavericks sixth man Jason Terry hasn’t turned into a jumbo JET after the soda and wing-joint endorsements. Now the shooting guard has found a way to combine his love of food and charitable causes. Today the Hard Rock Cafe Dallas will unveil the Jason Terry Legendary Burger, available…
The ‘Boys host the godless, mother-hating horde from the bay area on Thanksgiving. Something you may not know about the Raiders’ home town…Although people immediately think of Napa Valley, Oakland has an even more impressive wine-making tradition. Labels such as Thunderbird, Night Train and MD 20/20 all owe their popularity…
Yeah, there’s that Charlie Brown deal. But it’s nowhere near as popular as the Great Pumpkin bit or the famous Christmas episode. Daffy Duck did a couple of nice skits, but that was a long time ago.Halloween and Christmas get all the good specials. All Thanksgiving ends up with is…
Well, I’m running a bit behind with this, largely because Kristy Yang just came in from Vietnam with a bottle of…of…what the hell am I drinking?It’s been a busy week on the blog, too. A number of comments worthy of mention–and several deserving of a decent prize. So we had…
In the classic film Northwest Passage, Spencer Tracy plays the legendary Robert Rogers. For those who didn’t waste a portion of their youth reading about the French and Indian War, Rogers commanded a band of soldiers who wore green uniforms and fought “Indian style” in the woods of New York.The…
Next week, we find out more about Oakland. For now, one final peek inside the beltway:The ‘Boys host the NFL’s answer to the Washington Nationals on Sunday. Another fact about the team whose mascot wore a bonnet…The Redskins earned the nickname “Hogs” not for their eating habits, as many believe,…
Last week, Pyramid’s Haywire Hefeweizen proved a tad, shall we say, underwhelming. This week seemed a perfect opportunity to try a couple of macro-brewed attempts at craft-brew styles, just to put things in perspective. After all, if a relatively small outfit like Pyramid can’t get the wheat-beer style right, surely…
It’s hard to believe that just over a year ago, I sat at a patio table at the Double-Wide with Jen as we got trashed on Hurritangs and I lost my camera. Oh, memories. Sweet, sweet memories. Well, since then, my girl drinkers and I (and a few boys thrown…
This week Dave takes a trip to Japan, or something like it, with a few visits to Geisha House, where sushi, oyster shooters and, yes, real chopsticks come together under one roof. As he writes, some visits to the Uptown spot left him more inspired than others.The furniture’s bound to…
In one week, the tea sippers battle that redneck military school for all important bragging rights. Yeah, Texas has to get past the Chickenhawks of KU first, while the Aggies go up against (yawn) Baylor. But on Thanksgiving day, it’s either “Hook ’em Horns” or…what the hell does “Gig ’em”…
I would’ve really liked to spend this Thanksgiving with my brother and sister-in-law in Northwest Spain. They throw an amazing bash each year for all of their American friends, then take it to the clubs for late-night dancing and drinks. Fun times, for sure! My recently retired mother, however, has…
The ‘Boys host the team of the ’40s on Sunday. Another fact about the city built on disease-ridden swampland…Because some people consider “Redskins” to be offensive, next year owner Dan Snyder plans to name the team after the southern dish of pig intestines.**Source: A delegation to this office claiming to…
Like so many Asian restaurants, Geisha House sets its tables with disposable wooden chopsticks, the kind you break apart before using. The things are everywhere, so it’s hardly a confusing concept. Yet during my first visit to the vast new sushi/teppan spot on Cedar Springs, I overheard a stylish young…
Ate a cold slice of pizza for breakfast, which, apart from immediately causing nightmare flashbacks to epic college hangovers (Seriously, Everclear. Is there a toilet on any college campus that you haven’t ended up in?), always leads to one of my favorite things: breakfast for lunch. Luckily, Oasis Cafe is…
Matching wine to tomato soup wouldn’t seem all that difficult. Fine dining restaurants routinely piece together bisques and fresh purees, after all–and their sommeliers can generally cope. But in this column we don’t bother to make fresh, upscale, herb infused soups. That would require buying tomatoes, basil…far too much trouble, to…
In last week’s cover story — which, for the next few hours, you can still find on a newsstand near you — Jesse walked through a few of Dallas’s most authentic dive bars, from the “all hours mixed-use dive” (Starlight Lounge) to the “dive where even your grandparents might get…
I was there when McDonald’s introduced Shanghai McNuggets, asking staff members at stores around the nation to don replica coolie hats.That was in 1985 or thereabouts–before corporate sensitivity training but long after Americans should have known better. I still remember an Asian couple approaching the counter at a McDonald’s in…
