Somebody Help This Poor Girl: SideDish

Posted on March 28th, 2011 11:00am by Nancy Nichols
Filed under Celebrity Diners, Foodie People

Here at D Headquarters, high above the streets of downtown Dallas, we are in the beginning stages of redesigning our restaurant page on the web. Our first idea was to combine SideDish with the restaurant page and incorporate more moving parts. Now is your chance to speak up. Tell me what you like or what you would like to see on the new-and-hopefully-improved SideDish/Restaurant page. Do you want recipes? Interviews? More reviews? What? Spill it. We’re listening.

18 comments

  1. Gossip. More snark. No recipes.

    @ 11:10 am on March 28, 2011

  2. I would like to see fewer articles written by thoughtless, inexperienced interns please.

    For example, there have been two recent articles which I find ridiculous. One is about a young lady eating a cinnamon roll. And just to prove it, there is a picture of a young lady eating a cinnamon roll right there in the post. There is another recent article about a young lady (different young lady this time, lords knows it took two people to accomplish these posts) who eats chicken fried steak. And of course the accompanying picture of said young lady eating chicken fried steak.

    Neither of those articles informed me of a damned thing other than sometimes people go out to eat cinnamon rolls and chicken fried steak.

    Then there is the What I’m Drinking Now column. No one cares what YOU are drinking. People want to know what THEY should be drinking. Can you describe the subject simply without using exotic adjectives please? Can you tell me about the wine, the vineyard, the vinting techniques, is it negociant or estate grown?…any of that? I don’t care about YOU. The single largest problem with wine writing today is snobbery. And a column entitled “What I’m Drinking Now”…well…whatever.

    So…I suppose what I want from the new website redesign or whatever it is you are asking for help with is some decent writing and/or journalism. Either one will be satisfactory. You can spend all the money in the world making it pretty and fancy and VERY interactive or whatever. I would just like some decent writing, never mind what kind of package it comes in.

    @ 11:26 am on March 28, 2011

  3. I’d like MORE articles with pictures of interns, por favor.

    @ 11:36 am on March 28, 2011

  4. More stories on tipping, John Tesar, self indulgent chefs, mixologists, and drug-fueled restaurant owners.

    @ 11:42 am on March 28, 2011

  5. More Kevin Marple.

    @ 12:53 pm on March 28, 2011

  6. I’d love to see an informed column of the growing beer scene. Between the current craft beer bills going before legislation, the guys at Moth and Common table having great events and beer dinners, Deep Ellum Brewery, and the promise of a wide range of Texas crafts at Katy Trail Ice House, there’s been no better time to be a hophead in Dallas. I also wouldn’t mind a weekly Jack Perkins rant column.

    @ 1:12 pm on March 28, 2011

  7. Whether it’s Jack Perkins or others, a “daily special” of weekly contributors might be fun (knowing that Amy S always writes on Tuesday would have me looking for her insight).

    @ 2:37 pm on March 28, 2011

  8. Look no further than Crave DFW for how to do it. They have great writers, they get all the hot news and the chefs respect them. Gastronome’s idea is great, Crave DFW has already been doing that with John from TJ’s, Rich from Scardello and even Kent Rathburn.

    @ 3:44 pm on March 28, 2011

  9. Thank you Mark!

    @ 7:53 pm on March 28, 2011

  10. Thank you Gastronome, a big old curtsy to you for the compliment. I’d love to hear your thoughts on my comments made on Wick’s post earlier today (please read my 1st and 3rd comment, the 2nd was a snap back I now regret) about the unequal taxation of alcohol sales. http://frontburner.dmagazine.com/2011/03/28/who-evades-taxes-in-texas/

    Ideas for the website of the moving kind: what about home videos of chefs preparing their favorite home-style meals?

    Would others besides me enjoy reading about “local” daycations, where a food-related destination, 1-2 hours from Dallas is explored? Kind of a large time allotment for a blog post – make it monthly maybe? It’s not just the destination (farm, market, winery, restaurant), but the journey, you could get 3-4 blog posts and video out of one trip. Maybe include paying guests and use a small bus? Make it an agrilicious tour?

    I see a review of Winstar casino food (by Tim Rogers) vs. Choctaw casino food (by Zac Crain) vs. Shreveport casino food (by Nancy) could be a fun read.

    You know me and history, you are welcome to plumb the antique cookbook collection in my dining room for any information. There’s a list of them on my blog, they go back to 1867.

    I always enjoy reading about business subjects (how much is restaurant lease space going for; One Arts Plaza is up for sale-will this effect any of the restaurant spaces; what are the effects of November’s alcohol vote; what product shortages are coming up – fyi, russet potatoes are next; How I Became An OpenTable Convert, the problem isn’t the TABC, it’s the TABC.) Maybe someone can make them sound less boring.

    @ 8:49 pm on March 28, 2011

  11. I’d like to read interviews with some chefs and their ideas on DFW food developments also about local produce and production and interesting farmers markets in the area..perhaps some of the festivals featuring locally grown foods.Let’s shake out some of the creative cooks,bakers,stores,shops and ideas in this area….

    @ 9:01 am on March 29, 2011

  12. I would be interested to read articles profiling the hard working people who make (or in some cases, try to make) our DFW area restaurants work – chefs (little known or well known), managers, sommeliers, stand out servers, suppliers, etc. Rather than just reading a review about a restaurant, it could allow us to go in with more knowledge and background on the people behind the scenes that put their heart and soul into it. Just a thought!

    @ 11:22 am on March 29, 2011

  13. Hire Amy! All her ideas are great!

    @ 12:58 pm on March 29, 2011

  14. Do you want recipes? Yes!

    Interviews? Sure

    More reviews? Yes!

    What? Lots of the updates of new & upcoming restaurants or restaurant closings. Like to know if chefs leave or jump to another restaurant. (i.e. Tre Wilcox) – then would love to hear how that new restaurant is doing or what they are doing there to ramp up the menu, etc.

    @ 1:27 pm on March 29, 2011

  15. You know what I would like? A “like” button like, ha ha, on Facebook. I know Facebook has made us lazy but sometimes I am reading quickly at lunch and see a comment I totally agree with and I would like to say so- and it would be easier just to hit “like”.

    @ 1:34 pm on March 29, 2011

  16. also would like a “like” button.

    @ 2:35 pm on March 29, 2011

  17. Oh, and “dislike” and “poppycock” buttons.

    @ 2:35 pm on March 29, 2011

  18. More recipes please. Dallas eaters are so finicky that it’s nice to have access/archive dishes that are good but are soon lost.

    @ 8:29 pm on March 29, 2011