Ok–I’ll admit it. The Shops at Legacy are pretty cool. Now if only they weren’t all the way up in freakin’ Oklahoma…erm…I mean Plano. I met up with my vegan buddy Drew at Legacy NAAN last week, where he’d set up a multiple-course vegan food tasting. It’s located in the…
The folks from Marketing have been hanging around my office, coughing up a storm and pointedly refusing to use Purell, despite the containers placed all around the office. I think they’re hoping that, weakened by a particularly nasty strain of swine flu they’ve been incubating for months (and you thought…
I’ve spent some effort avoiding this day, hoping it would never, ever come. But all of my valiant, last ditch efforts–a quick search for an apartment in Allen, begging to work from a Starbucks in Oklahoma City for a day or two–fell through.Now I’m trapped. Although I’ve spent much of…
El Fogon3636 Frankford972-820-6440Does it matter if a funky little ethnic joint is lodged in a far north strip mall? Is character defined by the shell or what is inside?Some would have you believe that location and setting matter more than unique flavors. So the fact that El Fogon is hidden…
Each week in ‘Knockers’ we order from a different delivery restaurant, assessing their efficiency and keeping a running score.Nara Pizza & Oven3716 Belt Line, Addison972-488-3663Promised delivery time: 40 minutesActual delivery time: 27 minutesScoring summary:Beating–nay, crushing–the promised delivery time: 23Five minutes spent in limbo on the phone as they figured out…
Author, beer judge and Brooklyn Brewery brewmaster Garrett Oliver will be in town Wednesday for a couple of Brooklyn Beer-related events. One is free, while the other costs $58 per person plus tax and tip. Guess which one we’ll be attending. First, Oliver will offer samples with food pairings and…
It’s State Fair time. Time to make out with Big Tex, take a ride on the Texas Star and maybe even do a little balloon-darting on the Midway. But more important, it’s time to get your fried-food game face on. This year there are some brand-new contenders vying for some…
When David Pedack fires up his rickety ZAP car—a three-wheeled all-electric bug assembled in Hong Kong—and clatters down the street on a pizza delivery run, it may be the only time he feels real solitude. The pressure of opening Urbino Pizza e Pasta, his second restaurant, eases just a bit…
We’ve discussed this in the past, though in regards to restaurant reviews. Critics generally allow a new place one month to work out the kinks before we pounce.This practice has drawbacks, of course. Years ago New York Times writer Eric Asimov called it “bullshit” when I mentioned that chefs expect…
It was certainly a vocal week on City of Ate. People like bc, jamey, curmudgeon and DallasDude churned out more words that I did–at least it seems that way.Of course, we’re still on our ‘no prizes’ kick so their efforts earn them little more than our appreciation. We did have…
Great. The full force of Texas winter is upon us…for a day…in October.Another month and Europeans will start seeing mulled wine stands open. Decades ago these probably held a big, steaming pot of red wine spiced with cinnamon, vanilla, cloves and other seasonings. Nowadays, of course, you find commercial-sized stainless…
This week Dave visits Henderson Avenue’s new Urbino Pizza e Pasta, where owner David Pedack delivers to his neighbors in an electric ZAP car, but the friendly waitstaff make a visit in person worthwhile.For a look around the new place, including that special place in the kitchen where pizzas come…
The day I have been waiting for since I bought my starter kit back in August finally arrived yesterday, as Lady Hophead and I popped open our first couple of “H.M.N.I.” home-brewed beers. (The initials, incidentally, stand for “Hi My Name Is,” for the name-tag stickers we’ll probably use to…
When we got word that WFAA’s Good Morning Texas was looking for suckers contestants to enter a televised wing eating contest, it sounded like the right time to reshuffle the speed-eating pecking order here at City of Ate.While Jesse Hughey had a corn dog eating crown to defend, I thought…
Every time I go…strike that. The few times I’ve been to old downtown Carrollton, the square always seems deserted. Oh, there are cars, but few people–until you walk into Babe’s, where you find the entire population of North Texas.So if, as writers at the New York Times suppose, Southern fried…
Agave Tapas2067 Summer Lee Dr.Rockwall214-771-0423Actually, the name includes “grill,” “restaurant” and–I think–“bar” in addition to “tapas.” And the name says it all.In some ways it reminds me of the time I stopped in a place called Carlos O’Kelly’s, a Tex-Mex establishment that may or may not have also served corned…
In the vegan world, we’re in what’s known as “VeganMoFo.” No, not what you think–it’s a global event that stands for “Vegan Month of Food.” We celebrate VeganMoFo to encourage our omnivorous friends to try animal-free eats for an entire month. Not an easy feat here in Dallas–you know, considering…..
Each week, Pairing Off attempts to find just the right bottle of wine to go with ordinary food.There’s gonna be a moment when you think “this is the low point–it can’t get any worse.” Of course, intellectually you know it can get much worse. But the little speech, however mistaken,…
Driving around Dallas last week I came across an abandoned concrete structure with block glass inlays and “restaurant” painted across the front. It was like spotting an original streamline diner–different construction materials, I know, but the rounded corners and crumbling Art Deco era touches inspire the same flush of nostalgia…
On The Range is a weekly exploration of the history and lore of Texas menu items.No matter that you haven’t read the strip in many years, or even if you’ve never perused the comic that has been a staple of the funny papers across the country for over 70 years,…
Maple & Motor4810 Maple Ave.214-522-4400Dude Factor: 9, or “Mama” Cass Elliot, on a scale of 1 (Billy Elliot) to 10 (Eliot Ness)I believe the name of this place is actually Maple & Motor Burgers & Beer, but I’m pretty sure a “motor burger” also refers to something akin to a…
Growing up a Cardinals fan meant we took more than just the occasional pilgrimage to beautiful Busch Stadium. Our route to the ballpark varied, but it was always about three hours and–if we approached down a certain highway, my mom would always–and I mean always–point out the street where Marty…
