With Fat Tuesday upon us, gluttony is the single goal of the day. While lots of shenanigans will surely ensue, as they do every Tuesday in this city, don’t forget to fill your ulcerated tummy with a bowl of hearty gumbo. I spoke with several local chefs on the art…
Whitehall Exchange recently opened in the Bishop Arts District, at the northeast corner of Bishop and West 7th Street. Billed as “bar and bites,” this refurbished spot retained the old charm of the building and enriched it with stain glass and dark wood, giving it a swank feel. Whitehall Exchange…
After several days of delays, ocaTaco, at 6333 Forest Park, finally opened on Friday. We stopped by to check it out and grub down with the medical community. And some random dudes in overalls. OcaTaco is in the food court next to the Paul Bass Administration building off of Forest…
A suited staffer circled the room, his tray laden with warm slices of olive, rosemary and raisin breads, crusty and fragrant. He bestowed each of our plates with a different variety, and placed between us a ramekin of butter so pristine and smooth it looked like you could ice skate…
When I was a kid, I thought clams were irregular, long rubbery strips of sweet protein covered in cornmeal breading. It wasn’t my fault. Even though I grew up on the Eastern Shore, my parents grew up in central PA. They weren’t seafood people, so most of the seafood meals…
Rachel Stone at the Lakewood Advocate got the scoop on three new retail outlets at BLVD, the new luxury apartment complex at SMU Boulevard and Greenville Avenue that offers, among many of its amenities, valet trash service, a “sparkling pool and sundeck,” and 712 square feet of luxury living for…
The new Central Market at Preston and Royal is now open, offering just about all the amenities of the other four local Central Markets but in half the space. Here’s a party tip: don’t fight the one-way serpentine flow. Once you decide to get in, you’re in. And focus. If…
On a recent Friday, one of the cold ones, Del Frisco’s Grille had a nice little buzz going. Out front, women in ultra-short skirts bounced in place to keep warm, clinging tightly to the arms of starched-and-buttoned-down dudes as they waited on a lengthy valet line. Stacked orange box lanterns…
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: Po’ Melvin’s Sandwich: Fried Oyster Po’ Boy ($9.99) Bread: Giant, soft baguette Toppings: Cornmeal battered and fried oysters, lettuce, tomato (mayo standard but nixed…
Side Dish reported on Valentine’s Day that Nana, the restaurant in the Hilton Anatole, will close in June and reopen in September as a steakhouse. Yes. A steakhouse. Chef Anthony Bombaci has been promoted within the company, and the new chef has yet to be named. The place is also…
I don’t usually get into making predictions, but this one’s just too easy. Off-Site Kitchen, the new breakfast-and-lunch spot from the Neighborhood Services group, opened today, and word is getting out fast. They don’t have many seats inside, maybe eight or nine stools, but they’ve got loads of patio seating…
Chef Tim Byres, Chris Jeffers and Chris Zielke, co-owners of Smoke, have seen fit to transform the spacious old Jack’s Backyard spot to a beer garden called The Foundry and a chicken stand called Chicken Scratch. The latter isn’t open just quite yet, but the former — the drinking part…
It’s Monday again, and after a few treacherous Tex-Mex experiences, I’m ready to celebrate with a meatless meal I actually enjoy. One place on the table is Judi Restaurant and Bakery, which quietly opened last summer at 850 South Greenville in Richardson. I’m surprised there hasn’t been more fanfare. The…
The Coppell Deli is a shack-like restaurant on a quiet street in a quiet neighborhood of its namesake town. I walked in and was happy to see only four people in the cafeteria-style dining room, two of whom were behind the counter. It’s a really plain-looking space: surrounded by white…
The good people of the UT Southwestern campus are about to be slapped in the mouth with slow-cooked meat. Jack Perkins and part of his Maple and Motor team expect to open his new taco assembly-line concept, ocaTaco, sometime this week. (According to Facebook, it’s looking like Wednesday.) And yes,…
I’m getting ready to embark on a pretty serious brisket taco excursion. The thought is: Trying the same dish at many different restaurants provides context about how individual restaurants interpret a particular preparation. Basically, I’m about to spend an entire day eating nothing but tortillas stuffed with stringy beef. Before…
Johnny’s Pizza House has opened its first North Texas location in Addison, at the northwest corner of Belt Line and Midway. Johnny’s is originally out of Monroe, Louisiana, where they have a fairly devout following. Their thick crusts are loaded with gooey cheese, and piling on the toppings is encouraged…
This week, Cheap Bastard rolls the dice and finds she loves the crunchy fish taco (heh, heh, she said crunchy fish taco) at Taco Taco, 5954 Royal Lane, 214-750-4420.) Other diners in the restaurant besides me count: 0 Times I laughed when I realized that I recommend the crunchy fish…
Out on the eastern edge of Dallas yesterday, I punched my location into my Dive-Burger Finder App and Bell’s Better Burger popped up. Bless those satellites orbiting the Earth finding burgers for me. Bell’s Better Burger, at 2610 Peachtree Road in Mesquite, is strictly a drive-in. There are two large…
When Private Social opened last fall, the occasion was marked with a red-carpet affair. Literally, the rug was rouge, and it was rolled out for the city’s socialites, both actual and aspiring, all craving a first look into Uptown’s latest offering to the upscale dining gods. The pseudo-celebrities were out…
When we got notice of a new taco shop opening, we immediately considered our lunch plans solidified. Taco Stop, the new taco stand that opened this Monday in the Design District (1900 Irving), has a lot going for it with respect to Observer employees. For one, it serves tacos, which…
The first time you look up at Mason Bar, located at 2701 Guillot St., you might not even realize what you’re seeing. In what looks like an old, abandoned brownstone from the outside, Mason, led by underground Chef David Anthony Temple (yeah, DAT one) is open and comfortable on the…
