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At Ranch at Las Colinas, Hit the Petting Zoo, Then Eat the Cow

I'm wary of promoting too many events, since they often suck. But this one caught my eye, especially if you have little ones who enjoy fancy dining and nothing on your docket. Kids ought to know that hamburgers don't come from from Styrofoam trays covered in plastic wrap, but from...
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Is Mexico’s Narco War a Revolution?

Dear Mexican: I read in your book that Mexico is due for a revolution about every 100 years or so. Do you think the drug war presently being fought between the cartels and the Mexican government is actually just a revolution being funded by drug money? —The Ugly American Dear...
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Staff Faves of 2011

National Top 10--(Nick Rallo) 10. Centro-matic, Candidate Waltz The best album made in Texas this year. Will Johnson's songwriting is nearing Hattori Hanzo sword-sharp. 9. Deep Dark Woods, The Place I Left Behind If you once gave a shit about Jay Farrar, still give a shit about Centro-matic, Wilco, or...
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Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol

For 15 years and now four sequels, Tom Cruise has pilgrimaged regularly to the Mission: Impossible franchise. Like a Hindu’s rejuvenating bath in the Ganges, a dip in the series serves to wash away perceived doubts about the star’s enduring fame and clout. The sustained box office of the M:I...
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Meso Maya’s Hands of God

Every morning around 9, a large pot of water containing dried white corn and lime comes to a boil inside the kitchen of Meso Maya — the first step of a two-day process that yields fresh hand-made tortillas for hundreds of diners each day. The procedure is straightforward but hardly...
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Stackhouse: Right at Home in East Dallas

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...
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Up East Dallas Without a Paddle

Very mixed feelings about the city council briefing coming up this morning on proposed East Dallas storm-water projects. On the one hand, my paranoia is confirmed, which is always satisfying. On the other hand, there's not much I can do about it. Yes, just as I thought, my house in...
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Dallas PD Catches (Alleged) NW Dallas Burglar

Twice in recent weeks the Dallas Police Department has dispatched surveillance footage of a bald, back-packing man creeping around homes near Midway and Walnut Hill in Northwest Dallas -- the man initially ID'd only as the Lively Lane Prowler. He now has a name, according to an email we just...
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Like His Pastor Friends, Perry Thinks Hanging Gay People is a “Traditional American Value”

Here's the president yesterday, decrying not-minor human-rights violations against gays overseas (from the Washington Times):"I am deeply concerned by the violence and discrimination targeting [lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered] persons around the world -- whether it is passing laws that criminalize LGBT status, beating citizens simply for joining peaceful LGBT...
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I Can’t Stop Thinking About Nick and Sam’s Steak Sauce

Prospective diners could learn everything they need to know about Nick and Sam's by walking through the parking lot. Valets squeeze in freshly detailed Mercedes, Audis and Bimmers and more -- every luxury brand is represented. On weekend evenings limousines of various shapes and sizes park out front on Maple...
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Descendants Ascends to Top of DFW Crix List

The Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association just dispatched its year-end best-of, the whole list of which follows. Given my retreat from film crit in recent months -- though I did review We Bought a Zoo, opening Christmas week, and ... not bad -- I can't argue with this year's list...
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Texas Spice, the Hotel Restaurant That Shouldn’t Be But Is

I'm staring at a perfectly seared and large piece of red fish, with crisp skin and flaky white flesh, trying to figure out what went wrong with Texas Spice. It's a decent plate, if a little ham-handed. The fish sits on a bed of black-bean and avocado purees, both heaped...