RE: Rumors Behind the Restaurant News

In early February I posted that Brinker International cut almost 125 jobs. Today, Disher “Jane Doe” says:

Now they [Brinker] also have begun the lay offs at store level. Close to 50 managers have been let go in the past week.

Hmm. Top level fat is one thing, but store managers? I smell something.

Acoustic Grooves at Bluff Dale Vineyards

You might think that because it’s Monday, I’d want to save posts about weekend events until, say, Thursday at noon. Well a visit to Bluff Dale Vineyards, between Stephenville and Granbury, takes a little more planning than your average jaunt to Uptown for entertainment. If you’re one that can linger on a Texas highway on a lazy Sunday afternoon, then steer your wheels southwest. Every Sunday you can claim a spot on the porch overlooking vineyards and Texas countryside, grab a bottle of wine (try the Texas White or the Texas Cream Sherry), and listen to some good music. This Sunday’s headliner is Acoustic Blend, tradional bluegrass and old country. Oh, and did I mention it’s free? 1-4 p.m. Click here for contact info and directions.

Party On at the Garden Café

This Thursday from 6-8 PM, the Garden Café is hosting “A Strictly-For-Fun Gathering of Smart-Mouthed Fiction Writers and One Lucky Guitar, Trading Stories, and Songs. Writers in the Round: On Fiction, Truth, and Three Chords.” Translated: a wine and cheese reception with Austin singer/songwriter Trish Murphy, Dallas-based authors Will Clarke, Harry Hunsicker, and Melanie Wells. Sounds like a great night for songs and stories. Details after the jump. (more…)

Review: Salata

Going out to lunch can be a real pain. It just gets in the way of a perfectly good work day. Occasionally I venture out of my cube with a view for something to eat, but usually I just grab leftovers and dine over the comfort of my keyboard. Today I had to go to Fidelity Investments in Preston Center to donate blood money to what is left of my IRA (don’t forget!) and I stopped in to try Salata, a quick and easy salad and wrap bar, not to be confused with these. The concept is simple: you line up and design your own salad or wrap from a seemingly endless buffet of choices. There are lettuce selections, over 20 veggies, fruits, nuts, and cheeses. Meats include chicken (chipotle, pesto, herb-marinated, or any combo), marinated shrimp, crab, and baked salmon. The dressings are fresh; the completed wraps are bigger than Tim Rogers’ ego. If they put one in across the street from this office (hint, hint…there is an empty restaurant space available), I would eat there every day except Friday. The bite-size brownies? Yes, please. And the chipotle ranch dressing? Cleared my sinuses right up.

Cafe Italia Locked Out

A sign on the door says it all. Restaurateur Scott Jones’ Cafe Italia in Oak Cliff’s Bishop Arts District has been locked out for failure to pay back rent. The original on Lovers Lane still remains open. The Oak Cliff location seemed a hit when it first opened last year but the dining room had seemed pretty empty on my last few visits. It makes you wonder if the booming Bishop Arts has hit maximum restaurant density or perhaps the O.C. crew just didn’t take to Jones’ Tex-Italian fare.