Just shy of two years ago, I was sitting at the recently-opened Ivy Tavern and chowing down on a mediocre pub burger. The burger was dull between toasted sourdough. Overpowering, raw red onion and an under-salted patty left me studying an iron falcon above the bar instead of celebrating the…
Sweet Denton is on a roll lately when it comes to getting cool new stuff and it appears their momentum isn’t slowing anytime soon. Today, Audacity Brew House (Denton’s first brewery) and Travelstead (where Oaktopia Festival is held) announced they’re partnering to open the Audacity Brew House at Travelstead in downtown…
Like a bun gathered neatly at the crown of Uchi’s head, Top Knot is pretty and elegant without trying too hard. The same could be said of dessert at this Dallas hot spot. Take, for example, their pear nabe. Named for the heated clay pot it’s presented in, this straightforward…
Hold onto your hat, cowboys: Kitchen LTO — the Trinity Groves “permanent pop-up” that swaps menus, chefs and artwork every six months — is opening tonight with a new menu filled with dishes like buffalo-fried quail, whole rabbit and smoked antelope ribs. Dinner service starts tonight, brunch kicks off this…
On Wednesday, Hypnotic Donuts celebrates the grand opening of its latest sweet endeavor: Hypnotic Emporium, an old-school soda fountain, ice cream spot and candy store opening next door to the quirky East Dallas doughnut shop. Hypnotic Emporium isn’t a trendy wink at the old-fashioned soda fountain – the music, the…
The bamboo basket is set gingerly on the table, the lid pulled back with great flourish as steam fills the air. Inside, eight curious little pouches – each about the size of a small fist – sit, perky and rotund, as a savory smell wafts from the traditional steaming basket…
Somewhere in the confusion of one-way streets and skyscrapers is one of Dallas’ oldest steakhouses, except for one minor detail — it actually isn’t visible at street level. If not for a sign and valet stand, it would be very easy to forget Dakota’s even exists. The Reunion Tower may…
Once upon a time, there was a Dallas Observer food writers’ meeting. The subject turned, as it always does, to pizza. News flash: We really, really like pizza. Then I mentioned a Chicago-style restaurant that might make for a good article idea, and the mood changed in an instant. The…
When the aptly-named Hickory & Fry opened in Denton’s Fry Street district early last year, I told anyone who would listen how excited I was we were finally getting a tapas bar. “A TOPLESS bar?!” they said? Um, no. Sadly, Hickory & Fry announced via their Facebook page yesterday they…
Things are polished at Sugarbacon. Splatter-pattern art, like an alien ocean, sparkles near the entrance. Shiny copper reaches the ceiling behind the bar, and a couple of TVs, encased in smooth black, glisten. Sitting at the bar at Sugarbacon, looking towards the glowing liquors with the big chalkboard announcing draught…
Sartre argues that Hell is other people. I disagree. I think Hell is living in a city without Indian food. Currently there are only two places in Denton to satisfy your curry craving and I can only in good conscience recommend one. Recent real estate dealings had locals worried about…
On April 27, it’s going down: More than 40 Dallas restaurants will fill Centennial Hall with delicious dishes that enable you to taste fare from multiple eateries in one night without losing your hair in I-35 traffic. This annual tasting event has it all, baby: The ticket price covers entry,…
You can almost smell the scent of brine in the air when you step into Preston Center’s Montlake Cut. The small but mighty vessel, helmed by acclaimed chef and restaurateur Nick Badovinus, is tucked quietly into a corner on Westchester Drive in the space formerly occupied by Spoon, another high-end…
Situated in Fort Worth’s museum district, Hanabi Ramen has been quietly gaining acclaim since it opened in summer 2014, and the praise is entirely deserved. For Japanese food fiends in Dallas, Hanabi is the perfect excuse for a day trip. Just down the road from the Kimbell, Amon Carter and…
When we heard that Taco Bell was introducing a new food-type item called the Quesalupa, we did what any normal food citizens would have done: We asked Dean Fearing to make his version of the Quesalupa for us. Asking fancy chefs to “elevate” national fast food fads is the best…
At first glance, Irving can look like Any Suburb, USA — but a surging Asian Indian population adds a plethora of Indian restaurants, grocery stores, movie theaters and churches. North Texas has had a strong Asian Indian presence for several decades, but the population skyrocketed from 2000 to 2010. Since…
Seconds after putting in an order for a half-pound burger at Harvey B’s, the kind lady who took my order yells “half!” to the kitchen behind her. It’s all about simplicity, stripped down the very keywords, at Harvey B’s. The menu reads like a collection of the words you’d yell,…
Let’s face it, Thursdays are a fickle mistress — close enough to the weekend to where sleeping in seems within a hair’s breadth, yet far enough away that your workweek still has you in its coffee-stained grip. But occasionally, a food event presents itself and you find yourself snacking on…
If you call yourself a foodie, you’ve been champing at the bit for this new restaurant to open. East Dallas, the time has finally come: Waffle House on Ross Avenue is officially ready for business. Excitement. Helmed by executive chef, This Guy, and sous chef, That Lady, Waffle House offers…
This is where the Alec Baldwin narration could begin: A cream-colored menu with illustrations is placed in front of MAN WHO LIKES BURGERS (Me, 31). A burger illustration wears a crown at the top of the menu. The man looks at the menu for a minute, and points, with one…
Recently opened at the corner of McKinney Avenue and Blackburn Street, Sablon Chocolate Lounge takes inspiration from the Belgian culture and claims high-quality chocolate “is a birthright that should be enjoyed by everyone.” The menu is indulgent in every sense; the selection, the portions and the prices are all staggering…
I know we’re all still reeling from the recent (temporary) loss of Zoli’s NY Pizza, but owner Jay Jerrier — the man who also brought us Cane Rosso, bless his pizza-filled heart — already has something else up his sleeve: ice cream. More specifically, Austin ice cream. *Cue hysterical cries…
