Articles for June 23rd, 2011

History of Dallas Food: La Tunisia

posted by Nancy Nichols | June 23rd, 2011 11:30am | filed under History of Dallas Food, Nostalgia, Restaurant News | 40 Comments »

Photo of postcard from La Tunisia in Dallas.

Last summer, Amy Severson, co-owner of Sevy’s, blogger, and all-around smart person, and I  had what we thought was a great idea. We decided to write a book on the history of Dallas food. We did a zillion searches and couldn’t come up with one book that covered the subject. We began collecting bits and pieces of information. Amy spent days at the library researching anything related to the restaurant or food business in the  Dallas area. She has interviewed grandchildren of long-lost Dallas restaurants and food businesses. What we have found is unique and amazing and over the next few months, we will post some of the discoveries.

Today, we start with our History of Dallas Food series with La Tunisia, an opulent restaurant that opened in 1959. My grandfather used to take me to La Tunisia for special occasions. Do you have memories of La Tunisia? I thought they moved to Preston Royal, but Amy has traced it to McKinney Avenue. However, we did find postcards and a menu which I’ve photographed and posted below the jump. Here’s our report:

There was a time in history when the term “middle eastern conflict” referred to the weekly disagreement between Jeannie and Major Anthony Nelson.

Jump, please.

Continue reading "History of Dallas Food: La Tunisia"

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Leslie Brenner “Gestalt” Alert!

posted by Tim Rogers | June 23rd, 2011 10:46am | filed under Burgers | 20 Comments »

Awhile back in the magazine, I drew attention to DMN critic Leslie Brenner’s favorite crutch word: “gestalt.” (Her predecessor was fond of the word “swarthy.”) Clearly I have too much time on my hands. I should take up yarn bombing or something. Anyway, I couldn’t help but notice the latest “gestalt” from Brenner, this time in a review of the Commissary. To wit:

Many of the burgers come in two sizes, 6-ounce or 8-ounce, and they arrive cut in half. I like that the 6-ounce burgers get smaller buns — proper bun-to patty-ratio is so essential to overall burger gestalt — but sliced in half, those smaller burgers fall apart when you pick them up, ruining the effect.

I also couldn’t help but notice that when I ate at Commissary last week, my burger didn’t come sliced in half.

</nitpick>

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Wild Salsa in Downtown Dallas Readies to Open

posted by Nancy Nichols | June 23rd, 2011 9:40am | filed under Openings/Closings, Restaurant News | 7 Comments »

The sign is up above the door at Wild Salsa next to The Merc at 1800 Main Street downtown and there is an “ad” on Craig’s List for servers. I’m a little unclear on the concept. The ad says it’s a New Upscale Modern Mexican restaurant, but my super spy who lives close by says the workers told her it was a Mexican restaurant but will deliver Chinese food. A crazy idea but I love it.

The restaurant is owned by Dallas Restaurant Group (Dallas Chop House, Dallas Fish Market). When they announced the project, the culinary consultant was John Tesar. Today,  former Nova chef Kelly Hightower is currently overseeing the project. No official opening date has been announced.

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Good Morning Dallas: How About a Double-Double Animal Style! In-N-Out is Open in Dallas

posted by Nancy Nichols | June 23rd, 2011 9:15am | filed under AgriBusiness, Burgers, celebrity sightings | 11 Comments »

Hello, Dallas! Come and get it!

In-N-Out in Dallas is open for business. 7940 N. Central Expressway.

Jump to meet super-hero, Mr. Carl Van Fleet. Continue reading "Good Morning Dallas: How About a Double-Double Animal Style! In-N-Out is Open in Dallas"

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B.Y.O.B. in D.F.W: Nonna Tata in Fort Worth

posted by Nancy Nichols | June 23rd, 2011 9:00am | filed under BYOB, Howard Marc Spector, Restaurant News, Reviews | 12 Comments »

Meet Howard Marc Spector, a local attorney and a wine collector. He gave up golf in 1998 to pursue his passion for wine. He won’t tell me how much wine he has in his cellar, but to give you an insight into his wine profile, he will allow me to print a breakdown of his collection: 25% German, 33% French, 10% Italian, 10% Spain/Portugal, 15-20% USA.

When he goes out to dinner, he likes to tote his own wine. He has perfected the fine art of B.Y.O.B. Today he starts a series of B.Y.O.B reports. Along the way, he will fill you in on how he and  his wine club manage to drink the wine they want at the restaurant they choose. Welcome him.

Twelve pound vinyl luggage hanging off your shoulder may not seem like a chic fashion accessory, but for wine lovers everywhere, there is no better item of arm-candy than a three-bottle wine carrier with a strap as wide as a scarf. And even if you don’t want to toss around phrases like “tea-infused,” “tannic structure,” “kirsch,” and “essence of wet dog fur,” you may still enjoy the Holy Grail of food and wine — BYOB.

BYOB used to sound cheap – it meant we had a surplus of folks on the party list, but a deficit in the beer budget.  Now we have a more rarefied term for BYOB – corkage, as in “Do you allow corkage?” Over time, I am going to let you in on my local wine group’s corkage secrets.  Who we are, where we go, what wines we bring, and how we decide.  I’ll also explain the etiquette of corkage – how to ask, how to ask again, how to get a restaurant to reconsider, and how not to screw it up for the rest of us.

Jump for the whole story. Continue reading "B.Y.O.B. in D.F.W: Nonna Tata in Fort Worth"

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