Chef Brent Hammer started his cooking career all because of a slight misunderstanding, in what turned out to be one of longest night of his life washing dishes at a restaurant in Milwaukee. The fast pace of the kitchen lured him in, and soon he began the career path that…
My physical is coming up in a few months and I’m trying to get all my burger eating done well ahead on any blood tests that may be on the horizon. For this week’s review I checked out Stackhouse on Gaston Avenue, a burger house built literally into a house…
Stackhouse sits on a knoll above the concrete expanse that is the intersection of Gaston Avenue, Malcolm X Boulevard and Fair Park Link, in East Dallas. With a pine-green exterior, large windows and a roof-top deck with views of the Dallas skyline, it’s a quaint little place for burger-eating. This…
As Alice mentioned earlier, Starbucks announced Tuesday that they are raising the cost on some of their products. A “tall” or 12-ounce coffee will increase by 10 cents to $1.85. But why drink Starbucks anyway? Here are five better local coffee shops, no matter the cost. 5. Mercantile Coffee House…
Airline dining has been synonymous with substandard eats forever, as multiple decades of prepackaged, lifeless meals have graced our flimsy fold-out tray tables. We’ve became collectively aware of a basic and undeniable fact: This stuff is absolutely terrible. In response, airlines have taken three major tacks. They either charge you…
When Tim Byres visited Washington D.C. last summer in support of Share Our Strength, a non-profit seeking to end hunger and improve nutrition for American children, he bumped into R.J. Cooper, who was then the chef at Vidalia, a high-end concept devoted to Southern cooking. The two hit it off…
Starbucks is raising their prices, y’all. I had no idea brown water could cost as much as it already does, and now they’re raising the price? This is a bunch of bologna sandwich. The Wall Street Journal says that the change “raises the cost of a ‘tall,’ or 12-ounce, coffee…
I once knew this really fit, good-looking lady that had an 11-month diet plan that worked pretty well for her. She’d faithfully eat healthy and workout all year until Thanksgiving. Then, from Turkey Day to Christmas she pretty much did what she wanted. But by New Years Day, she was…
I’ve been looking forward to this series of posts since mid-fall, when our new Sportatorium folks joined the City of Ate fray. You see, I can think of no more perfect marriage than sports and food. And I consummate this union every year with an annual football-themed degustation. Before you…
With 2011 slowly tumbling out of sight in our rear view mirror, it’s time to take one more glance back at some of the best bread fillers of the past 12 months. Here are the Top Five ‘Wich Trials Sandwiches of yesteryear (in a very particular order): 5. Granny’s Sunday…
Brandt Wood, owner of Trees and the Green Room, will open Mason Bar (2701 Guillot St), a new uptown concept featuring drinks and eats from the Lowcountry. And he’s tapped chef David Temple, known for his underground dinners, to design and execute the menu. Temple told me by phone that…
December welcomed a handful of highly anticipated restaurants, with Bolsa Mercado setting up shop just a few doors down from Bolsa, the design District’s Oak opening its doors and the Galleria welcoming Townhouse Kitchen and Bar. Read on for the full opening and closing slate, and be sure to share…
While I was in Waxahachie a few months ago, I meant to stop by the Catfish Plantation, a Waxahachie legend, made famous because it’s allegedly haunted. Eager to see some ghosts and possibly Dale Hansen, I headed back out to the ‘Hachie to see what I could scare up. (See…
Each week, Justin Bitner goes hunting for DFW’s most interesting sandwiches. Have a sandwich suggestion? Leave it in the comments and he’ll check it out. Venue: Eno’s Pizza Tavern Sandwich: Gotham Kitchen ($6) Bread: House-baked roll lightly buttered and toasted Toppings: House-made Italian beef, hot peppers, pickled vegetables, spicy broth…
Oak opened recently in the Design District, just across the street from the Meddlesome Moth. Owners Tommy DeAlano and Richard Ellman hired Plan B (Bolsa, Cedars Social) to create a beautiful, relaxed and upscale space with a menu for the refined foodie. Executive Chef Jason Maddy has worked around the…
In weekly interviews with chefs, a standard question is about their favorite under-radar dining spots. This week Chef Brent Hammer at Hibiscus told me about B.B. Bop Rice Bowls on Greenville. In addition to being tasty, he lauded it as “in-and-out in 10 minutes for less than ten bucks.” Since…
A few weeks back, when Guy Fieri and the Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives crew stencil-painted the metroplex, tracking their movements was sort of like tracking a spiky-haired, loud-mouthed Santa. But when I heard they filmed an episode at a spot that I’ve driven by no less than 100 times and…
Slow day here at the Observer. Slow week, even. It’s almost depressing coming to terms with the fact that the holiday season is coming to an end, you’re suddenly fat, your resolutions start next week and you have to at least pretend that you want to be a better person,…
Resolutions are nasty little things we “make” every January 1 so we can disappointed in ourselves for not living up to our own ridiculous expectations. Well guess what? I resolve to be who I am for the next year, and be fucking happy about it, too. Here’s what else I’m…
On Thursday afternoon, a blackboard out front of Avila’s Mexican Restaurant boasted — in bright pink and blue chalk — an enchilada lunch special. After being seated, and having chips and salsa thrust at me, I nearly ordered the enchiladas, but was swayed when I noticed another chalk board in…
Has there been a better year for beer drinkers in North Texas, and particularly Dallas, than 2011? Not one that I can think of, for reasons enumerated in the awards below. My year’s wrap-up isn’t over. Coming soon are my favorite beers of the year and a run-down of the…
Courtesy of Bad Robot Interactive’s new app: Action Movie FX…
