Articles about Keep Dallas Douchey!
Somebody Help This Blog: SideDish Gets a Makeover
We have been working on a redesign of SideDish for almost a year. Now we are down to arranging our new ideas on the webpage. Before we take the next step, I thought I’d ask readers and restaurateurs what features you’d like to see (or not see) on SideDish. Hit us with your best shots.
24 Comments »Restaurant 101: How to Deal With Demanding Customers
Imaginary Wobbly Girl. In Prada.
Imagine you are the owner of a restaurant. Feel the hot sweats? Yeah, it’s a scary business. There are many pleasures such as pleasing customers with great food and service. But there are many potholes. Some of which you don’t see coming until you hit them head on. Utensils get swiped, servers get stiffed, and people complain. But lately I’ve heard a couple stories from restaurateurs that have actually stunned me. Some people have a lot of nerve. Here is one scenario.
A large table of office mates celebrating their annual holiday feast. Lots of food and drink flowing. Gal gets up to use the restroom. Wobbles on high heels towards the door. An employee happens to be in said restroom when Wobbly Gal slips. Said employee catches Wobbly Gal in mid fall. In the process, Wobbly Gal’s hand gets scratched. Wobbly Gal goes back to table. All is well.
Forty eight hours later, the Not-So-Wobbly Gal returns to the restaurant. She asks for the manager and demands $350 to pay for the jeans that were ruined when Wobbly Gal tried to get the blood out by using bleach. Oh, and she wants money for her shirt too. She has no receipts for anything. She looks like she could “throw a wobbly” at any moment.
You may think this answer is easy. Just say no. But restaurateurs are people pleasers and they don’t want to do anything to hurt the oh-so-important “word of mouth” publicity their business depends on. Many restaurants fork over the dough.
So how would you solve this problem?
13 Comments »The Shark Bar & Grill to Open in Willow Bend
From Dolphins to Sharks: The Shark Bar takes over Wyland's Ocean Blue at Willow Bend.
Remember the fish-themed spot Wyland’s Ocean Blue in Willow Bend? No? It was open for at least six months. When they closed, we all wondered what would happen to all of the under-the-sea décor and fixtures. Today we’re worrying no more. We hear The Shark Bar, a sports bar and restaurant, is filling the space that was also once Mercury Grill and other stuff I can’t remember. The website says the spot is “the brainchild of three Dallas entrepreneurs” who, according to this source, are Frederick Sambina Alima, Jimmy Don Hays and Arthur Johnson.
According to this job listing, The Shark Bar is going to be fancy. Think bottle service at Willow Bend. Snippet:
We are looking to partner with experienced restaurant marketers and nightlife promoters that can assist with spreading the word and creating a buzz of excitement for our new spot. Our concept is really dynamic in that we’re locating in a popular shopping mall. By day we’ll be a great gathering place for families, business people and shoppers – great food, high energy environment and a beautiful space. At night, we’ll turn into the premiere gathering place for cocktails, VIP bottle service and live entertainment. The Shark Bar & Grill will be the only establishment in the mall with a nightlife/live entertainment component.
Oh, no! Here comes that song!
5 Comments »Ghostbar Has Vanished? Where is Wade Randolph Hampton?
Glory Days: They don't pass Wade Randolph Hampton by.
Today we learned Ghostbar, once the highest grossing club in Dallas, is closing. According to one employee, most of the club’s workers found out they were jobless by reading about it on blogs. Ouch, that’s cold.
Our first concern was for Wade Randolph Hampton, the dude behind the vibe at Ghostbar. “What will happen to Wade,” cried one co-worker. “Oh, my gosh. I wish Wish FM were here so I could cuddle with him,” swooned another. If you don’t know Wade/Wish, you can read this interview.
Well, don’t worry about Wish. According to a lengthy press release I received, his has been granted. Listen up.
Hampton’s fans will still be able to catch his local shows every Friday at the intensely authentic yet still hushed discotheque (and 50’s dancehall of the same name) – It’ll Do – where he has partnered with heralded impresario Brooke Humphries. His bombastic Friday hoedown, called The ISH, will feature the absolute cutting-edge in bass music and indie-electro with a bevy of globally recognized artists, including members of the unstoppable Pretty Lights camp and Dallas dubstep prodigy, Spenca.
He’s also joining up with M3 Films execs and producers Michael Cain and Melina McKinnon. They are currently producing multiple projects including the STARCK PROJECT. Jump for the notes and quotes. Continue reading "Ghostbar Has Vanished? Where is Wade Randolph Hampton?"
2 Comments »New Menu at Café Pacific. Executive Chef Bill Trevino Leaves For Austin.
Jack Knox loves dogs and seafood.
Café Pacific owner Jack Knox hired Gang of Five chef and consultant Anne Greer McCann to rework the menu at the tony seafood restaurant in Highland Park Village. Ms. McCann worked with executive chef Bill Trevino to update the seafood-centric menu. (I’ve acquired a copy of the work in progress below. Sorry Jack, I have really good sources inside your operation. I dare you to fire him/her.)
You can see the Southern touches Ms. McCann added to the menu below. Don’t fret: the pecan ball is still on the dessert menu. The only changes: bananas Foster bread pudding was replaced with banana pudding.
After completing the new menu, execuchef Bill Trevino decided to move his young family south to Austin where he can be found at Abel’s. Trevino was at Café Pacific for ten years. (I smell a good opportunity for an unemployed chef, IJS.)
Continue reading "New Menu at Café Pacific. Executive Chef Bill Trevino Leaves For Austin."
1 Comment »Restaurants America Strikes Again: Central Standard to Open in The Dallas Design District
Team, I mean Restaurants America has landed in Dallas and is now spreading their mighty wings across the city. The multi-concept restaurant company operates seven brands and about 20 restaurants in Illinois, Texas, and Florida. In Dallas, they operate Primebar in Uptown, Townhouse Kitchen + Bar in North Dallas, and the soon-to-open Park Tavern across from Bailey’s Prime Plus on Park Lane. (Avner Samuel has confirmed he will not be the chef at any of these restaurants.) Recently, RA leased the space formerly known as Vapiano in Mockingbird Station. (I have it on good authority that concept will not be called Nosh Euro Bistro. I can’t confirm that Cafe Med has been ruled out. However, Mockingbird Taproom seems to be on the leader board.)
Today comes word: Restaurant America is putting a gastro sports pub in the Design District. It will be called Central Standard. Note to RA: you should have called the restaurant in Mockingbird Station Central Standard, IJS. No matter what they call it, the space is located in the ground floor of 1400 Hi Line, a 23-story, 314-unit multifamily project that is expected to open this summer and be completed in early 2013. Central Standard is expected to open in Fall 2012.
The press release says nothing about the food. Which begs the question: what is a gastro sport? Followed by: what is gastro sports food? Balls? Wings? Ducks? Oh the possibilities are endless.
7 Comments »Texting at The Table: A Necessary Evil? I Don’t Think So.
I just returned from a 16-day vacation. The food, scenery, and activities were superb, but the best part for me was going that long without technology. I admit the first five days were hard. My hand twitched nervously without a cell phone in it. My heart palpitated at the sight of my laptop. It was difficult to turn the on/off switch to off because my brain works on a dimmer. Finally, I forgot about the cell. Mainly because nobody around me had one. I went to meals and actually spoke with strangers. There is a noticeable difference in the dining experience without technology.
Upon arrival at Miami International Airport, I was stunned to find 92 percent of the people attempting to go through immigration, luggage retrieval, and customs while texting. I felt like I landed in a world of zombies. People ran their wheeled Tumi bags over my feet without noticing. They held up lines because they were distracted. I vowed not to go back to that.
Texting at the dinner table is not a new issue. I have a friend, oh we’ll call him Belevan, who texts in the car, in a movie, and at tables in fine restaurants. His defense is that he has to be available at all times. It’s a horrible emotional tornado that whips up when you text, Facebook, Tweet everything you do. I’m guilty. My job is time sensitive and dependent on instant information, but I am drawing the line now at the dinner table. There is nothing worse than talking to the top of someone’s head while they text in their lap.
It must drive restaurateurs nuts. Service people as well. It’s rude and disrespectful to the people you are eating with and the food you are eating. Anybody have a suggestion for how to stop the madness? Perhaps restaurants should add a phone usage charge to the bill.
20 Comments »Men Will Be Boys: Finalists Announced for “Name a Pizza for Mike Napoli” Contest at Cane Rosso
It was bound to happen: pizza lover and baseball writer, Evan Grant, finally met pizza maker and baseball lover, Jay Jerrier. The twosome came up with a publicity stunt. (SHOCKER) They invented “Name a Pizza for Mike Napoli” contest. (If you don’t know who Napoli is, you can go back to work.) If you love the catcher-first-baseman-DH lovingly referred to as “Dirtbag,” you will love this: Today, Grant and Jerrier announced four finalists plus Grant’s unofficial “look-how-funny-I-am”entry, “The (he wishes) Grand Salami.” Hear him brag:
2 Comments »After much consideration, pizza-maker extraordinaire Jay Jerrier and pizza-eater extraordinaire Evan Grant (that’s me), have come up with four finalists for our Name a Napoli Pizza contest.Tuesday (Feb. 7 or tomorrow to most of you), we will roll out some samples of these fine entries for you to taste and, as always, the full Cane Rosso menu will be available. One of these fine recipes will end up as a special pie on the Cane Rosso menu for the next month and one of these neophyte pizza creators will walk away with a nice little prize package. Maybe we can come up with some other surprises, too. So, if you are free come on down. We’d love your input here and at the restaurant. Here are the finalists. Be there at 7PM.
Snippet From Snooty Foodies: Del Frisco’s Grille in Dallas
Hey y’all, remember the Snooty Foodies? The dashing couple who dine out so much they had to take a break from their blog? Well, they’ve decided to dip their toes back into the blogosphere by sending in a snippet whenever they bloody well feel like it. That’s why we call them snooty. Plus they use “I” instead of “we.” Here, they go.
The first Del Frisco’s Grille in New York has been open for a while in very modest digs (ha!) at 50 Rock which is just down the street from their steakhouse in Manhattan. The NYC DFG is rocking. So is the Nick & Sam’s Grill, the light version on Nick & Sam’s here in Dallas. Judging from the crowd’s I’ve seen at Del Frisco’s Grille on McKinney, I think Del Frisco’s opening on McKinney Ave in the heart of uptown is a good idea.
Three major concerns leapt to mind before my first visit to DFG: it’s a new glitzy spot in douche bag central, casual off shoots from fine dining restaurants rarely wow me, and inevitably the bar will be 4 deep and I don’t like to wait on drinks. So I decided to visit mid-afternoon and I didn’t have to wait on a couple of Bentleys to move so I could get to the valet stand.
Jump for it. Continue reading "Snippet From Snooty Foodies: Del Frisco’s Grille in Dallas"
This Little Piggy Went Downtown
Oh yeah, it's for real.
We’re suckers for any press release that contains the following sentences:
- Yes, this is really real.
- Don’t you judge us; we all knew it would end up here someday.
- And yeah, your right we probably did go too far this time.
- Sorry, Mom.
It seems a couple well-intentioned entrepreneurs have teamed up with J&D’s Foods to create a little something they’re calling baconlube—the world’s first bacon-flavored, water-based, American-made, personal lubricant.
Billing itself as the “gold standard of meat-flavored massage oils” (natch) baconlube, they say, is like the McRib of sex: it’s delicious, makes men crazy, is here for a limited time, and is in short supply.
If you’re thinking “stocking stuffer!” (let’s stay on track here), we’re right behind you. But the boys only made 3,000 bottles of this pork-flavored nectar. It hit the interwebs yesterday at www.baconlube.com. How much, you ask, for a product that promises such a satisfying holiday season? Only $11.99.
you know you want more. jump for it… Continue reading "This Little Piggy Went Downtown"
13 Comments »Anthony Bourdain Kicks Some Serious Sass in Dallas
Anthony Bourdain on stage at the Majestic Theater in Dallas. (photo by Elizabeth Lavin)
Last night, Anthony Bourdain fans packed the Majestic Theater. Baseball be damned, the worshipers of All-Things-Anthony showed up to lay themselves at the cowboy-booted feet of their hero.
Tony walked onto the stage at 8:10 and greeted the audience: “I am a whore. I am in every way compromised, jaded, bought and paid for, including my nice f—ing jacket.”
For the next hour and 45 minutes, the crowd hung on his every word. He was loose, casual, at ease, good-natured, straight forward, no bull. He was exactly the guy you see on TV, except, in person, you could see just how fine he wears boot-cut jeans.
After the show, we got to hang out with Tony and watch him sign books and greet his fans. Hundreds of folks bought books and stood in line to get his autograph. He walked into the VIP room and he very calmly said, “Look, I’m here and I’m not leaving until every book is signed, every picture is taken. I’m not in a hurry, so grab some food, have a drink, relax.”
I plan to write a longer report, but my day job calls. In the meantime, I’ll post the pictures that Tony most graciously allowed our photographer, Elizabeth Lavin, to shoot. Oh, and John “Jimmy Sears” Tesar was there. I mean everywhere. If you notice him in every shot, it is because he tried to get in every shot. At one point I thought he was going to start signing copies of Bourdain’s Medium Raw. He could have. That’s how he serves his burgers.
On to the show.
Continue reading "Anthony Bourdain Kicks Some Serious Sass in Dallas"
13 Comments »Hey Dallas, What Would You Ask Anthony Bourdain?
My question: What is behind that bone? (Photo by Melanie Dunea from the book, My Last Supper)
Anthony Bourdain will be at The Majestic tonight. Tickets are still available. I understand there will be a Q&A segment in the show. Can’t go? Send me your questions. I’ll try to get them answered.
Oh, and Tony. Tonight is the sixth game of the World Series. Our Texas Rangers could be champions before your show is over. You’ve will have hard core Rangers fans in the audience with DVRs recording the game. Please do not give game updates. That goes for you fans in the audience. If I see one of you on your cell phone getting game results, I WILL CUT YOU.
8 Comments »Manuel’s Creative Cuisine and Winston’s Supper Club to Open at the Centrum
Manuel’s Creative Cuisine, a new upscale Mexican restaurant centered on local organic ingredients, will open soon in the old Bengal Tiger Coast space at The Centrum. The restaurant is the work of Manuel and Virny Arredondo. They have two locations in Mexico.
Winston’s Supper Club is opening in the old Star Canyon space at the Centrum. According to a posting on Craig’s List, Winston’s is “a new concept, Euro-style lounge with the best dj’s, sound, and food.” They are hiring “Performers/Talent/Dancers (think pussy cat dolls, also live models).” Oh, and bartenders, porters, and bookkeepers.
15 Comments »What Would Happen if Women Opened Restaurants With Male Body Parts as Themes
‘Scuse me while I saddle up my high horse. Am I the only woman who is concerned about the sudden surge in Breastaurants. I mean really 35 additional Twin Peaks? A bar opening in downtown called The Spread Eagle? Seriously boys? How would you like to take your daughter into one of the restaurant’s the gals in our office just conceptualized. We call them Peteries.
Hunky Town, Twin Pricks, Tooter’s, Pecker’s Hot Italian Sausage, Tube Steak Junction, Cake Balls to the Walls, Nuts and Butts, Quickies, Long Dong Silver, Tally Whacker’s, Love Mussels, Wee Willie’s, Twig and Berries.
Ladies, the floor is open.
53 Comments »Company Café Says “No Comment” to Second Location
The Deep Bowl at Company Cafe is delicious.
Late yesterday afternoon Steven “ubiquitous” Doyle sent me a link to a post he wrote about Company Café. He wanted me to link to it. Here’s a clip:
We spoke to Stephen White today, owner of Company Café, the relatively new restaurant on lower Greenville Avenue that brings to its clientele fresh, gluten free food with an organic twist, and he confirmed what we had heard about his new location which has broken ground across from the Katy Trail Ice House at 3136 Routh Street in Uptown Dallas.
I just called the restaurant and they quickly jumped to “no comment” when I asked about the move. The dude on the phone didn’t sound too happy. “No deals finalized. I’m not allowed to comment on this.” Curious. However, I just reached White and he says “it’s months away but we have city approval.” He didn’t sound too happy.
2 Comments »Voting Opens for the CBS Most Valuable Blogger Awards 2011
We can’t promise you world peace or affordable health care, but we can promise to continue doing what we do best: reporting on the food, fun, facts, fantasies, and frolics taking place in the Dallas food scene. All you have to do is go to the Dining/Entertainment tab on this site, scroll to SideDish, and click on the tab to the right. You can vote once a day in each category. FrontBurner and Park Cities People are pitted against each other under Local Affairs.
Somebody Help This Poor Boy: Calzones in Dallas
This kinda sorta rude Disher sez:
Nancy, you all seem to write about Pizza, especially Jay Jerrier’s. Can you move your brain away from Cane Rosso and perhaps tell me about where to get a calzone?
I picked the wrong day to quit feeling chirpy, chirpy, cheep, cheep! (Warning, that song will attach to your brain forever.) And dude, you don’t need to capitalize the P in pizza. Calzone suggestions anyone? Jay?
17 Comments »Subscribe
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Suddenly Silent: John Tesar Has Disappeared From Dallas
Missing In Action: Is John Tesar channeling his inner heirloom tomato fetish in India or hanging with Kathryn Jackson in Arizona?
I’ve cruised past the construction site of John Tesar’s new restaurant, Spoon in Preston Center, several times this month and noticed zero activity. The permits were not on the windows and there was no construction taking place. Yesterday I checked Tesar’s Facebook and Twitter accounts, then texted and called him, and nothing. Last night I spoke with his rep, Bev Garvin. She says all is well and construction is “back underway.” They are preparing to knock down the front of the space and, after that, “expect a six-to-eight week turnaround.”
I asked her Tesar’s whereabouts and she giggled a bit. “I can’t tell you,” she said. “I only get to talk to him when they allow him access to phones or when they let him have phones.”
After I lifted my jaw off my desk, I asked, “Well, should I check the roster at Betty Ford Clinic or San Quentin?” She giggled again, nervously. “No, it’s all good I can’t tell you. If you poke around you might find out more.” She did say he would be back in Dallas on July 31.
I don’t feel like poking, so let’s play “Where’s John Tesar?” Prize worth $100 to the winner. (Some people, and you know who you are, are not eligible to play.)
I am going out on a long white oak limb here: Meditating in India.
Okay, your turn, GO!
34 Comments »