Tom Spicer is one cool cat, and he’s becoming even cooler (in my book) now that I know he’s throwing a party in his garden on May 24 at 7:30 pm. Urbano Cafe owner Mitch Kaufmann is teaming up with the artichoke guy to bring a New Orleans legend, Spencer Bohren, to the gardens for an entertaining evening filled with song and storytelling. You can bet that the company will be delightful and the food – from whole roasted pig to the homemade gumbo – will certainly be fresh.
Jump for the full release. (more…)
Dallas dancers will have a new place to show off their sweet moves now that local developer Jeff Swaney of Delphi Group just acquired some land and buildings in the recently dubbed “New East Elm” neighborhood. This means the It’ll Do Club at 4322 Elm St., which falls under Delphi’s radar, will be getting a face lift and re-launch in the second quarter of 2012. Swaney is also taking over the Starlight Lounge on Main St., but no word on whether he plans to renovate it yet.
More about Delphi from the press release:
Delphi, (www.delphigroupinc.com) which led Deep Ellum’s renaissance in the 80s and 90s and birthed the wildly successful Club Clearview (1985-2005), are bringing the same artsy energy to New East Elm. Delphi’s 25 year experience in the Deep Ellum district, specializing in the renovation of older structures and it’s entertainment pedigree made this the group’s next logical project, sure to build on the momentum they’ve created in the area. The area historically was a haunt of Dallas legend Jack Ruby and nexus of the underground gambling rackets of the 1930s and 40s

Our BBQ guy, Daniel Vaughn
Anthony Bourdain’s a smart man for selecting Daniel Vaughn, BBQ Snob and the genius behind “Full Custom Gospel BBQ”, to write one of the three titles for his new line of books published under Ecco, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
Our favorite BBQ correspondent (who did his first print story with us) will be writing Prophets of Smoked Meat, a full-color tour of the best Texas barbeque joints he’s visited since he first got hooked on the ‘cue. The book will feature recipes of smoked classics and sides, and shed some light on some of the people whose passion drive the Texas BBQ food scene.
Dear Chef DAT,
Who are you? I’ve been getting press releases from you for a long time but for the life of me I can’t remember meeting you. I do understand that you live underground and you cook a lot there as well, but do you ever actually come out during the day?
You talk funny. I mean, you write funny. You “sound” like you are totally hip and in with all of the IN people which explains a lot about our relationship. It’s so cool that you are throwing a birthday party for yourself on October 23! You must have lots of friends! Three LIVE bands, CAJUN food, and BYOB! Totally bitchin’. And Thursday, you only have 20 seats left for your super secret dinner in Deep Ellum. Have you done the math? Do you think you can get that many people under the ground in Deep Ellum? It must be so freakin’ dark, dude. Six courses for $66? That dinner is like so effin’ New Testament! And payable in “unmarked, untraceable cash only”? Brilliant.
Keep it up and maybe you’ll get your own restaurant one day. Oh, wait. My spirit is shaking. I’m getting an incoming subliminal message from, wait…oh…I can’t quite make out the voice, I can only hear pigs squealing. Oh, now it’s clear. It’s Steven Doyle LIVE from the State Fair. He says you have a “concept portfolio” for a future restaurant called Twenty-Seven. Far out, it sounds so Satanic! Will you take American Express? Awesome. Keep us posted.
Good luck,
Nancy Nichols