Articles about make mine a double
How many times have you returned from a vacation and rushed to your favorite restaurant for a fix of your favorite food? For almost 20 years, I drove from the airport to Mi Cocina in Preston Royal and went face down in a plate of nachos. Then came In-N-Out. Okay, so Andrew doesn’t love it. He’s British. He ingests cans of Spotted Dick Sponge Pudding and Vegemite, a nasty paste I use as a bug killer.
I lived in California for 11 years so perhaps I am experiencing the reverse-home-town-food-nostalgia syndrome that affects older people because when I returned from vacation last week, I drove straight to In-N-Out and devoured a DDAS (double-double animal style) like a rabid coyote. EVERYBODY knows you order the fries crispy at INO. Everybody but Andrew.
Anywhoo, where do you go when you re-enter your life in Dallas?
posted by
Nancy Nichols |
March 13th, 2012 10:59am | filed under
Bring it!,
Burgers,
Cult Cuisine,
Delusional behavior,
Diets are stupid,
Making Up Is Hard To Do,
Mistakes I made,
Nostalgia,
Overprivileged chimps,
make mine a double |
29 Comments »
Kinky Friedman showed up for his gig last night at AllGood Café with comedian Ruth Buzzi. Yes, the Ruth Buzzi from Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In. Buzzi lives west of Fort Worth on a 220-acre ranch where she and her husband raise cattle and quarter horses. Here is a brief note from Allgood Café owner Mike Snider:
In the course of a 1 hour + show, Kinky referenced: Zorro, Batman, Johnny Cash, Willie, Lone Star Cafe in NYC, albinos, Rick Perry (of course), Molly Ivins, Barbara Jordan, Jim Nabors, Muhammed Ali, Townes Van Zandt, Ira Hayes and so many more I can’t remember. He brought Ruth Buzzi onstage from the audience to tell the story of how she once cut Kinky’s hair back in the 70s.
Kinky is in town promoting his Man In Black tequila. SideDish reporter Haley Hamilton is meeting with him at 2PM for a tasting. Good times.

Here's Art Grindle, I mean Kinky Friedman. He wants to sell you some tequila!
“This is not New Age Mexican Mouthwash like some of the stuff that has reached the market over the past 20 years or so,” Kinky said. “It is not smoothed out by multiple filtering and tailored to what some marketing guys think Americans want. It’s the real deal and naturally smooth because we start with mature agave.”
Did he just say “mature?” If you’d like to taste Kinky’s tequila and hear him sing, head over to Allgood Café on Sunday, February 12. All I know is that it is an “evening performance.” Deets to follow. Check out Kinky’s liquor here.
Julian Pagan of the Cedars Social. The hair stylist room. Photography by Jason Acton.
I dropped in to get a quick look at Hid In 2612, Michael Martensen’s newest pop-up bar in Deep Ellum. It’s gorgeous and fun and full of groovy people. The space is divided into four or five differently decorated spaces and some of Dallas’ finest bartenders are taking shifts at the bar. Food is available from Cane Rosso next door. I didn’t have time for a drink but I plan to get back before their last night which is Saturday Friday, February 10. They open at 8PM.
Go. Drink. Report.
Jump for photos. (more…)

When do you know that you have started to become a little too familiar with a restaurant? Well, if you pull into Kenny’s Burger Joint and your kid starts cheering, “Yay! Uncle Kenny.” And no, I’m not related to Kenny Bowers…and my kid hardly even recognizes his grandparents. Perhaps this familiarity could be seen as a problem in a city that offers so many burger options, but to be honest, its easy to get underwhelmed by the consistent stream of the newly minted burger joints. Seems like there are about 2 new openings a week, la-dee-frickin-da. These days, I can count on one hand the number of places I will actually patronize to in order to obtain a truly exceptional burger. Kenny’s has been doing things right since the beginning.
Kenny will tell you that he originally got such excellent feedback from his “Sterling Silver Burger” at Kenny’s Wood Fired Grill, that it was only natural to create a burger-centric restaurant. And we are all blessed because of it. Sure, it’s a bit of a pain for many to trek out to Frisco, but when quality and consistency intersect, the results can be something so enticing that nearly anyone can bust out of the north-of-635 bubble.
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Bar Crew at The Chesterfield
The Chesterfield, the tony new bar backed by Ed Bailey and manned by Ed “Lucky ” Campbell, opened somewhat softly on Friday night. It is in the old Doc Bell’s BBQ place on Main Street in downtown Dallas. Sumptuous old couches have been moved in and the well-stocked bar ready to “celebrate the golden age of cocktails” runs down one exposed brick wall of the oblong space. It’s urban sophistication in the glass and in the space.
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![lisa_with_oranges[1]-SZ-F-C](http://sidedish.dmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/lisa_with_oranges1-SZ-F-C-300x216.jpg)
Lisa Garza juggles relationships to get Sissy's Fried Chicken open.
At this moment,
Lisa Garza is doing a walk through of her new space on Henderson Ave. The former Hector’s on Henderson will soon be transformed into
Sissy’s Fried Chicken. La Garza’s idea is to serve “low-country” food in honor of her Southern roots in a “Billy Reid” dining room. Tea-infused vodkas (trending!) and specialty cocktails (a must have) will be featured.
Although La Garza is all about sisterhood (“I am Sissy,” Garza says. “Sissy is southern slang for “sister” and I am developing every aspect.”) there will be no sissy in the kitchen. La G has plucked Jeffery Hobbs and named him “leader of the kitchen.”
Oh, it’s a tangled tale—an episode of As the Restaurant Turns. Here’s the synopsis: Lisa was married to Chef Gilbert Garza. Together they operated Suze Restaurant, the cozy spot on Midway and NW Highway. At some point, Jeffery Hobbs joined the happy couple to work on the kitchen team as chef and partner. Hobbs and Gilbert ran a great restaurant. Lisa concentrated on catering. Lisa was picked as a contestant on Next Food Network Star. The experience was devastating, as most former TV reality participants will admit is generally the case. The Garzas divorced and Lisa retreated for a couple of years. She emerged as a fancy caterer. Found a new guy. Got re-married and is now pregnant with new restaurant.
After eight years at Suze, Hobbs splits to partner with burgeoning bully restaurateur, Jack “Maple & Motor” Perkins. They’re consulting on taco joints. Then La G calls Hobbs and asks him to be the “leader of her kitchen.” According to La G, Gilbert has given his blessing to the deal. See, there can be happy endings. Or beginnings. Stay tuned.
posted by
Nancy Nichols |
December 8th, 2011 11:45am | filed under
Celebrity Chefs,
Cult Cuisine,
Food On TV,
History of Dallas Food,
How to Open a Restaurant 101,
I Went to College for This?,
Nostalgia,
Openings,
Restaurant News,
Second coming,
hostess gifts,
make mine a double,
sassy pants,
youthful spontaneous restaurants |
8 Comments »

Ed Bailey in happy meal days. Photo by Elizabeth Lavin.
Ed Bailey can’t do anything simple. The restaurateur once owned 64 McDonalds. He spent bazillions of dollars on several locations decorating the interiors with Ralph Lauren wall fabrics, gold-framed oil paintings, and Austrian crystal chandeliers. Today, he operates multiple locations of Bailey’s Prime Plus Steakhouses and Patrizio’s. And he’s backing local barman Eddie “Lucky” Campbell in The Chesterfield at 1404 Main St. in downtown Dallas.
You know, Chesterfield. Like the cigarettes. The cigabutts that make you look cool like Don Draper. Bailey and Campbell are going way retro with The Chesterfield. It’s “modeled after the barrooms of the early 1900’s considered the Golden Age of Cocktails.”
There is nothing subtle about The Chesterfield. Catch this: “Guests will order cocktails from an 11 chapter menu, modeled after the first American cocktail manuals, arranged by style of drink – sours, fizzes, smashes, juleps, etc. Mixed into these chapters, guests can also expect cocktails smoked-to-order, in addition to modern chapters with seasonal and house specialties called classics re-crafted. The Chesterfield’s bar will be one of the most technically engineered in Dallas. Each bar station will have a freezer, refrigerated drawer, access to illuminated ice blocks, bottled house-made mixers, and a chilled produce bar top display. They will also feature one of the most extensive ice programs in the south, including ice chipped from blocks, cubed, flaked, made from molds and flavored.”
I can dig the ice deal. I’m very picky about my ice. So look for the aptly named Lucky and his ice chipper soon. Oh, and small plates by Executive Chef Michael Ehlert imported from DBGB Kitchen & Bar in New York. And yes, this location was once to be the collaborative effort of Lucky and local mixologist Michael (Cedars Social) Martensen. But it looks like Martensen was kicked to the curb. That’s just my take. Nobody’s talking.

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… (more…)
posted by
Sarah Reiss |
November 15th, 2011 12:34pm | filed under
BBQ,
Bacon,
Bring it!,
Cheap trick for comments,
Chef's tasting,
Cult Cuisine,
Daniel Walker,
Diets are stupid,
Eat This Now!,
Food Porn,
Good Morning,
Good Service,
I Hate it When That Happens,
I Went to College for This?,
I'm a sucker for a man in flannel,
I'm about to get fired,
It's just lunch,
Keep Dallas Douchey!,
Meat,
Merguez Sausage Hunt,
Musical Press Releases,
Newfangled condiments,
Nostalgia,
Procrastination is part of the creative process,
Really stupid joke,
Really?,
Rewritten Press Releases,
Scoops,
Second coming,
Sexy food,
Sing Along Press Releases,
Slow News Day,
Snacks,
Things To Do,
cheap eats,
classes,
hold on to your effin hat,
make mine a double,
party,
pop-up restaurant,
questionable behavior,
questionable judgment,
sassy pants,
somebody help this poor girl out,
who'd a thought? |
13 Comments »
Hey, East Dallas. You are really getting your game on. Today comes word that James St. Peter, Mr. Hypnotic Donuts, has quit his day job to be a full time donut dude. His exotic concoctions will be available in January 2012 at his new digs at 9007 Garland Rd. Listen:
Hyppies, as patrons are known as, will enjoy a casual in-store experience with seating at the donut and coffee bar, or lounging on the sofas and living room chairs. Standard chairs and tables will be placed throughout the space as well. In following St. Peter’s Hyppie mantra, Hypnotic Donuts will upcycle/recycle as much as possible, expect to see reclaimed furniture and décor from local vintage, resale, thrift and charity stores. To further utilize local talent, local artist have been commissioned to paint a mural of well-known hippies throughout history giving customers the joy of sharing a Hypnotic experience with their favorite hippies. Also, coffee will be supplied by locally owned and award winning Oak Cliff Coffee Roasters and will be brewed by the French press method.
Yo, groovy secret-keeping dudes in The OC. Watch your back. East Dallas is moving up.

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.
posted by
Nancy Nichols |
October 27th, 2011 10:42am | filed under
Bad critters,
Bring it!,
C.J. Wilson is on notice,
Celebrity Chefs,
Cult Cuisine,
Food On TV,
Food Porn,
Go Rangers!,
Hippie revolutions,
I Went to College for This?,
I'm about to get fired,
Keep Dallas Douchey!,
Overprivileged chimps,
make mine a double,
pork,
questionable judgment,
sexy things to do with your feet |
8 Comments »

Changing the mural at Bar 828.
Arti Sharma, D Magazine intern and a grant writer for Promise House the nonprofit that receives a portion of the proceeds from Bar 828, visited the popular pop-up bar last weekend and files this report.
Feel free to play some theme music.
Driving along the 800 block on the west side Davis Street, you may notice something particularly peculiar about the venue that sits on lot 828. At first glance, you will see a tattered building that shells what may have been a forgotten afterthought, abandoned in the midst of what perhaps was meant to be an idea. You may not further heed its quaintness, and will write it off as an empty nest. But you see, inside an oyster, sometimes there is a pearl. And inside 828, is something just as precious and rare: Bar 828.
Pretty pictures of pretty pop-up bar below.
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posted by
Nancy Nichols |
October 26th, 2011 9:55am | filed under
Celebrity Diners,
Charity events,
Go Rangers!,
Hippie revolutions,
Hot Links!,
Michael Martensen for President,
Mixology is fancy for bartender,
Silly Reasons to Celebrate,
Wine & Spirits,
make mine a double,
oak cliff,
pop-up restaurant |
11 Comments »
Yesterday, I posted the news that Michael Costa of The Office Grill filed for bankruptcy. In the comments section, one of Costa’s former employees asked a great question.
Anybody have some suggestions for the former employees when it comes tax time? We never received check stubs or info on the taxes taken out of them, that is when we did get them and they didn’t bounce.
I contacted Gregory P. Williams, a CPA with Restaurant CFO Partners in Plano. He has a lot of answers. They are below. I’ve also included his contact information if you have more questions.
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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
posted by
Nancy Nichols |
October 11th, 2011 3:06pm | filed under
Bad Names For Restaurants List,
Celebrity Chefs,
Celebrity Diners,
Cult Cuisine,
Dancing,
Drinking,
Food is art. Art is Food.,
Hippie revolutions,
Hole in the wall,
I Went to College for This?,
Nutjobs,
Openings,
Really?,
Restaurant News,
Rewritten Press Releases,
Slow News Day,
Steven Doyle,
UpsideDown Restaurants,
make mine a double,
questionable behavior,
questionable judgment,
youthful spontaneous restaurants |
43 Comments »
So, I’m avoiding real work and searching for the scoop on Sissy’s Fried Chicken on Henderson. We all know the general rules of posting CO permits: The name on the permit in the former Hector on Henderson spot could be the real name of a home cooking or “place holder” for a gay bar. We won’t know until somebody either calls me back or I get lucky on the internet. Owners change names all the time after they’ve applied for a permit.
Anywhoo, I’m digging away and get off task. Oh, look! I find a permit pulled for a restaurant at 624 642 W. Davis. I’m not telling you the name of the LLC because Teresa Gubbins will be all over it like hot on fried bubblegum. I contacted several HIGH PROFILE restaurant people in The OC for info. Oh yes, they all know who and what it is, but none of them are talking. Okay, guys. I’ll remember that the next time you send me a press release about your new bartender or your fall brunch menu. Hah! Two can play this game. Grrr.
posted by
Nancy Nichols |
October 6th, 2011 12:54pm | filed under
Best Gay Hangout Restaurant Evah!,
Buzz Killer!,
Food Crime,
Go Rangers!,
I Went to College for This?,
I'm a sucker for a man in flannel,
Keep Dallas Douchey!,
Mixology is fancy for bartender,
Overprivileged chimps,
Pre World Series Depression,
Restaurant News,
RudeDudes,
Vote for me!,
Welcome to Dallas. Now go home.,
make mine a double,
questionable behavior,
questionable judgment |
17 Comments »
Several eagle-eyed Dishers and Pegasus News have reported Mico sightings at the space formerly known as Burger Girl. I spoke with Mico Rodriguez and he detailed his vision for a small restaurant. However, nothing has been finalized and nothing is official. I know several of you saw a Mico 12 sign go up, but it is my understanding it has been taken down. Mico is eager to get going but loose ends need tightening. Stand by.
So the permit sign in the window at 1404 Main Street reads “The Garden Bar,” but that’s not the real name. However, the address is the site of the soon-to-open bar manned by mixologists Michael Martensen and Eddie “Lucky” Campbell. The dynamic duo have held the space vacated by Dr. Bell’s BBQ for some time, but it looks like things inside are ramping up. These guys know how to keep a secret. None of my snitches are snitching. However, I thought I heard somebody “say” the name of the joint will contain the name of a brown liquor. Oh, let’s name it. Free round of cocktails to the person who makes the best guess!

"Hello, beautiful lady. My name is Jason. I'll be your waiter tonight. You'll have 2 hours to complete your meal. And your time starts ... NOW"
[Ed. note: George poses this, in my opinion, stupid question. I am challenging him with, in my opinion, a smarter one.]
George: A couple of weeks ago, a Zagat survey reported that 60% of dinners in New York supported a time limit which allows the restaurant to boot you from your table so they can seat another party. But we’re not New York. So let’s ask the question to Dishers. Would you mind a time limit?
Nancy: George, you ignorant cluck. You are right on one point: we are not New York. I hate rushed service. Take MiCocina (beat, beat). Those waiters aren’t servers they’re animal trainers. They can turn a table of six in 40 minutes. It drives me nuts. I get the same vibe at Houston’s. Every time you sit down you can feel the beat: water, menus, drinks, order, eat, dessert, BOOM. Maybe, just maybe, we are eating out to have a conversation that doesn’t fit into the restaurant’s time frame. I think no time limit is best for the customer.
George: You can’t have a conversation in under 2 hours? Are you sitting with your fork in one hand and Blackberry in the other? Talk, talk, tap, tap. Assuming your waiter greets you in a timely manner, takes your order, and serves you your drinks and food, you really can’t finish in 2 hours? If not, move to the bar. I think it’s good for business.
Who is right?
In what feels like a dessert response to all of the overtly suggestive taco joint names we’ve seen in the last year, Sugar Box officially opens tomorrow night in Uptown at the Mondrian. The grand opening fete runs from 5 to 9 pm and features freebie selections from the new dessert bar’s palate of cupcakes, French macarons, and cake balls with espresso, latte, and cappuccino chasers (for those of you who, unlike me, can drink coffee after 4 pm and still sleep at night). Free tasters, live music, door prizes. Why not?
posted by
Sarah Reiss |
September 15th, 2011 9:00am | filed under
Baking,
Chocolate,
Coffee,
Cult Cuisine,
Diets are stupid,
Events,
Free Stuff!,
Goats!,
Good Morning,
How to Open a Restaurant 101,
I Went to College for This?,
It's just lunch,
Nightlife,
Openings,
Restaurant News,
Sexy food,
Silly Reasons to Celebrate,
Snacks,
Stupid terms for food,
Tacos,
Unsolicited Treats,
cake,
cheap eats,
cupcakes,
dessert,
flying solo,
food art,
freebies,
grand opening,
make mine a double,
youthful spontaneous restaurants |
1 Comment »
posted by
Nancy Nichols |
September 13th, 2011 1:55pm | filed under
Buzz Killer!,
Crazy Technology,
Groceries,
I Went to College for This?,
Junk Food,
Newfangled condiments,
Really?,
Silly Reasons to Celebrate,
Slow News Day,
Stupid terms for food,
Wasted Calorie,
Yum is Dumb,
cheap eats,
dessert,
hostess gifts,
make mine a double,
sassy pants,
that's just wrong. |
9 Comments »
This Little Piggy Went Downtown
Oh yeah, it's for real.
We’re suckers for any press release that contains the following sentences:
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… (more…)