In East Texas, an unremarkable-looking plant with bright red berries grows wild — and it grows everywhere. Used for landscaping filler by some and considered a nuisance plant by others, these plants are hardy enough to withstand even apocalyptic Texas drought. “The best we can tell is that they enjoy…
“Zakti is not a concept, but rather a way of being,” says Janeil Engelstad, co-founder of Zakti, a Dallas-based specialty tea purveyor. The company’s name is a nod to the Sanskrit term that translates to “positive energy.” This ethos permeates every aspect of the brand’s culture. “Holding and projecting positive…
The new building near the corner of FM 407 and U.S. 377 in Argyle looks as if it could have been built by elves. The round window and unusually crooked roof bring to mind fairy tales of princesses in hiding, adventure-shy hobbits and Santa’s workshop during the off-season. Kimzey’s Coffee,…
Early in the morning, before I’ve had coffee, is not usually the time of day when I feel most adventurous. I cannot even begin to relate to the sort of people who pop out of bed, bright-eyed and ready to take on the world without even so much as needing…
In 2013, Plano was introduced to specialty coffee when the doors opened at 1418 Coffeehouse, a homey hangout on K Avenue, and for years the cafe remained unchallenged in that market. Two weeks ago, that changed when XO Coffee Company opened nearby — 371 feet away, to be exact —…
In an unassuming office suite nestled into a field of tall grass, brambles and scraggly trees, there is a room with a table. Wooden, bar-height and with a shiny varnish, the table is surrounded by eight tall metal chairs. You can see all this for yourself, but what you can’t…
If you have an internet connection or eat out at least once a decade, you realize food trends change frequently. On top of that, people in the U.S. care about what they’re consuming in terms of quality and health more now than at possibly any point in history. It’s easy…
Coffee is a ritualistic beast. While they’re often subconscious, we all have our own coffee ceremonies — the places where we drink it, what we dress it with, the brands we are loyal to — and for many, straying from these comfortable regularities can range from a minor frustration to rendering oneself literally unable…
Coffee shops are many things to many people — but for the most part, they usually stick to coffee, food and perhaps a little booze. But in recent years, we’ve seen the rise of the hybrid cafe, a place where coffee is still a central focus but where you can…
If Frisco isn’t the first place you think of when you think about good coffee, it would be hard to blame you. The specialty coffee scene in Dallas proper has enjoyed a rapid explosion over the last several years, and while consumers throughout the DFW are increasingly focusing on local,…
The holiday season manifests itself in a variety of ways in the coffee world. There’s the endless, inescapable Christmas music in cafes, Starbucks’ annual war on Christmas and a concerning absence of Festivus poles. Perhaps you’ve noticed that many local coffee roasters are also offering limited, holiday-oriented coffee blends. While…
In a world where the specialty segment of the coffee industry is growing at an unprecedented pace and there’s more access than ever to great coffee, instant coffee isn’t exactly a buzzword, and for good reason. Consider your experiences with instant coffee and associated memories, connotations and flavors. Most instant…
Jettison’s offerings are not to be missed by craft cocktail lovers. However, even without a deep appreciation for the art of what has been done at this bar, one can appreciate the sumptuous, sexy decor.
Full City Rooster has been roasting coffee beans in the Cedars neighborhood for the past three years, opening for very limited hours and hosting food pop-ups on weekends. But now you can get more than a pound of beans from owners Michael and Chris Wyatt. The warehouse-turned-coffee-roasting studio on Akard Street…
As the State Fair of Texas winds down on a Friday night, visitors flood the area in front of the gates on Parry Avenue, many waiting for the next DART train. There are quite literally hundreds of people milling around a space of one or two city blocks, right across…
In the eight years I’ve lived in Texas, I’ve covered many a Texas fair — but until this year, I’ve never made the trip to the State Fair of Texas, despite the fact that many friends and neighbors in Southeast Texas made the five-hour drive for the fair every year. The…
When I was in college, there was a happy little Starbucks at the edge of campus where everyone gathered before and after class to study and decompress. As fall crept in and temperatures dropped, my friends and I, clad in big soft sweaters and scarves, often gathered on the small…
In case you’ve been living under a rock with exceptionally poor Wi-Fi, you’re no doubt well aware that the State Fair of Texas opens for the season on Friday — and nothing has been buzzed about quite so much as this year’s new food offerings. In the more than two…
Last night, the State Fair of Texas announced even more new snacks — which you can taste for yourself when the fair opens Sept. 30 — and the list is, as always, equal parts insane and enticing. Bacon is an obvious trend this year, as it appears on eight of…
On Friday, NewQuest Properties is celebrating the grand opening of Carrollton Town Center, an “Asian foodie destination” that features eateries like Kula Revolving Sushi Bar, Hanabi Ramen, Café and MangoSix. The latest addition: 85º C Bakery Cafe, a Taiwanese chain with more than 800 locations in Taiwan, Hong Kong, China and Australia, but…
This morning, the State Fair of Texas announced the finalists for the 2016 Big Tex Choice Awards, a list of eight deep-fried, sugar-coated, heart-stopping carb-monsters that were selected from 55 original entries submitted by 34 concession vendors. The finalists were determined using four parameters: “uniqueness, creativity, presentation and, of course, taste,”…
The baristas at Houndstooth Coffee have been serving cups at Sylvan Thirty for just more than two weeks now, but this isn’t just a simple expansion from the popular Henderson Avenue spot, which opened in 2014. “Austin was our first one, so [we] learned a lot along the way, and…
