Having the Alamo Drafthouse in Dallas is the fulfillment of a long-running dream. Some of my favorite things to do in the universe are A) see movie at the Drafthouse, B) order the enormous popcorn bowl (hosed with real butter and grated herb Parmesan) and C) wash it down with…
Covered in tattoos and wearing a shirt with an image of an ice cream cone with a skull on top of it, Aaron Barker is not your average ice cream shop owner. He’s a former journalist, guitar player for a local rock band called Street Arabs, and he has strong…
A new spot opening this summer at Malcolm X Boulevard and Commerce Street combines so many of our favorite things: tapas, hookah, alcohol and Lebanese food. Marc Mansour, co-owner and GM of Zåtar Lebanese Tapas & Bar, said the new spot will have tapas, specialty dishes and traditional Lebanese desserts like knefeh,…
Settling in from a solo tour throughout the South — and preparing for his opening slot for Third Eye Blind at Dallas Observer’s St. Patrick’s Day concert — Kirk Thurmond and the Millennials have been busy. So busy, in fact, that Thurmond recently quit his job at Oak Cliff’s Local Press…
The Dallas dining scene undoubtedly garners — nay, demands — most of the attention in North Texas, so our friends to the west are often overlooked. Yes, exciting things are happening right now with food in Dallas, but Fort Worth shouldn’t be treated like a spelling bee runner-up. Tillman’s Roadhouse…
Look, there’s nothing wrong with getting blasted on lukewarm green beer this St. Patrick’s Day, so long as you’re safe about it. We’re all adults, and being an adult sometimes means intentionally making questionable decisions in the name of classic American drinking holidays. Go nuts — drink a yard of…
Lick it up, Dallas. The new KISS-owned restaurant in The Colony is open, and it is massive. Rock & Brews, “a family-friendly rock-inspired experience” is a project from KISS members Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, who will make the trek to the Granscape development spot for a grand opening on May…
Eating at a new restaurant without expectations is a difficult task. The baggage of past experiences — that perfect steak, Mom’s mac and cheese, the first bite of Thai food — colors every diner’s expectations. I came to Fujiyama hoping to find Japanese tavern fare that lived up to my…
Meet your new food obsession: the lamington. Simple yet highly addictive, these delicious little cake squares are ubiquitous in Australian coffee houses. To an uninitiated Texan, however, they are nothing short of a revelation. For this “discovery,” we can thank Ascension Coffee owner/lamington smuggler Russell Hayward. Enlisting the talents of…
Downtown Dallas has a new lunch spot with a Mediterranean focus. Cafe Izmir, at the corner of Ervay Street and Pacific Avenue, is a second location of the successful Turkish spot on Greenville Avenue — and it might just be a compelling reason to stay downtown for dinner, too. The…
Sitting at Montlake Cut’s bar near the scale sailboat in the window is like being teleported to the shore. An Olympia Beer motion sign churns the name of the crisp beer from the Pacific Northwest, and Edison bulbs in a white cage bring the feel of below-decks on a boat…
Ah, spring break, our annual chance to find a warm beach, drink too many mojitos and come home with Zika virus. But if you can’t book plane tickets or get away to Padre this March, you can do the next best thing: Drive to Irving for a Puerto Rican meal…
Last week, Graham Dodds, the executive chef/owner at Wayward Sons, served me a dish that made me question everything I know to be true about myself: 1. I love meat and I know what meat tastes like. 2. I do not like beets. At all. 3. I am Texan, and…
Dallas is a great place to be right now — the spring weather is supernal and the pillar of Dallas cheeseries has opened its second location in Dallas Farmers Market’s “The Market,” a building that is eventually expected to fill with eateries and vendors. Scardello’s now has a small corner…
The people behind Vetted Well would like to make one thing very clear: This bar and restaurant is its own thing. Yes, it’s located above the new Alamo Drafthouse — and accessible via the movie theater’s lobby — but it’s also, the owner says, a stand-alone bar and restaurant with…
Craft beer and pizza is coming to the new Park Village Shopping Center in Southlake. Taverna Rossa, a project from the pizza-centric restaurant group that owns Cadillac Pizza Pub and Palio’s Pizza Cafe, will open in April, according to a press release. This will be Taverna’s second location, with the original located…
Welcome to “You Like This,” in which we ask chefs two questions: 1) What’s the best-selling dish at your restaurant? and 2) What’s your favorite dish at your restaurant? We hope the answer to the first question will open your eyes to the fan favorites and the Dallas palate, and…
Back in 2013, Joel Malone established a Kickstarter to help fund his dream of opening a cidery in the Bishop Arts District. Roughly a year later, Malone finally saw the end in sight, telling the Observer at the time that, “Dallas is going through a whole transition to wanting more…
What day is this? Is today a national day of duck butter? Spaghetti Squash Day? Is it National Eat an Old Subway B.M.T. on a Bench Day? It’s hard to keep track of food trends in the age of food trends. Trends in food used to be simple: It was…
Canary by Gorji might be Dallas’ ultimate under-the-radar restaurant. It’s been open for over a decade, and chef-owner Mansour Gorji, with two Texas Steak Cook-Off championships under his belt, has been serving top-notch cuisine there all the while. But for whatever reason, Canary doesn’t get the love it deserves. Maybe…
Quill is many things, but understated is not one of them. Walking into the new Design District cocktail lounge, you become immersed in emerald, brass and dramatic, sweeping light. White marble is offset by luxe green lounge seating and sharp tilework that gives even the bathrooms a touch of drama…
Welcome to “You Like This,” in which we ask chefs two questions: 1) What’s the best-selling dish at your restaurant? and 2) What’s your favorite dish at your restaurant? We hope the answer to the first question will open your eyes to the fan favorites and the Dallas palate, and…
