Rick Orr's wife picked out this Tabbedout groomscake for their wedding last June. (photo by Ben Godkin)

Rick Orr, co-founder and EVP of Tabbedout, is a smart guy, but it’s not something he shoves in your face when you meet him. At least, that’s not what happened when I first encountered him and his then-fiancée at a little bistro in Austin last summer.

When Orr explained the concept of Tabbedout during our interview, I thought, “How neat,” and pushed it right out of my head. I was there to write about their nuptials, so wedding colors and flower arrangements seemed more important at the time. Since then, that conversation about his company has followed me to Dallas, where it’s hard not to notice people like Scott Reitz singing the praises of this iPhone and Android app.

This is how it works on smart phones: You download the sucker for free, enroll your basic billing info, and then you can open, view, and pay your tab at participating restaurants from the convenience of your phone.

When I met Rick Orr in June 2011, only a few places in Dallas had adopted Tabbedout. Now it’s good to use at 50 different locations in the DFW area, and I’m sure it will catch on like wildfire as soon as other bartenders realize how many more drinks they can make when they’re not busy closing tabs.

“It’s really important for the staff to understand that the average tip is above 20%,” says Orr. If customers want to pay below the minimum tip amount, then they’ll have to manually pay for the tab themselves.

It’s a win-win situation for customers and merchants. Customers have control of the close-out, and they don’t have to wait 30 minutes for the tab anymore. Merchants, on the other hand, can focus on service instead of sliding credit cards through machines.

For Orr, it’s a huge accomplishment to break into the DFW market. ”I grew up close to Dallas and lived there right out of college, so it’s personally important that we do well there.”

Meanwhile, Bar Celine will be called The Gin Mill. I love gin so I won’t complain about that. However, Swig is going on my Bad Names for Restaurants List. Right beside our this place. Teresa has more important stuff here. (Asador, really chaps my sass.) Moving on.

I resigned from The Dallas Observer and now full time at the Critic’s Guide that will premiere Monday morning.

The Critic’s Guide is the brainchild of Dave Faries, another dude who quit the Observer. Faries and Doyle will be joined by Mark Stuertz, yet another dude who quit the Observer. Why didn’t Dave just call it Food By Dudes? Critic’s Guide debuts  on Monday. I  FREAKIN’ CAN’T WAIT.

Les deets.

FORMER DALLAS FOOD CRITIC INTRODUCES ONLINE

FOOD AND WINE MAGAZINE TO THE METROPLEX

Dave Faries Launches Critic’s Guide Next Week

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

October 14, 2010

Dallas, Texas – Noted food writer and critic Dave Faries, formerly of The Dallas Observer and Prague Post introduce Critic’s Guide; an exciting new online magazine covering the Dallas-Fort Worth dining scene.  Critic’s Guide is set to debut the week of October 18 at www.criticsguide.com.

Featuring four professional restaurant reviews by Faries and James Beard award-winning writer Mark Stuertz each week, Critic’s Guide also showcases local chefs, cocktail culture, dining trends, wines, vegetarian restaurants, cigars and more. In addition, visitors to the online magazine will find a searchable guide to recommended establishments and a useful events calendar.

Amongst the restaurants slated for review next week are The Green Room and Stephan Pyles’ new multi-course extravaganza Fuego.

With more than 20 years’ experience in journalism including TV and radio, Faries spent seven years writing for the Dallas Observer and three years in Europe.  Additionally, Faries served on the panel naming the annual World’s 50 Best Restaurants list and edited several restaurant guides. He has also produced PBS documentary features for the series Outdoor Pennsylvania and the nationally distributed full-length documentary The Vanishing Civil War.

Mark Stuertz earned a James Beard Award for his food writing with the Dallas Observer. With a career that began two decades ago as a distinguished wine and food writer in San Francisco, Stuertz has most recently contributed to the Fort Worth Star Telegram.

”Critic’s Guide is a magazine solely focused on dining and nightlife.  We hope to be a comprehensive source information and fun for those interested in food, wine, special events,” says Faries. “We will have several recognized contributors including Steven Doyle, Brad Cameron of the popular blog Dallas Vegan.”

For more information go to www.criticsguide.com, call 214-609-2045 or follow on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Dallas-TX/Critics-Guide/115634368491156 and Twitter @CriticsGuideDFW.

Here’s the thing about Molly Maguire’s: it’s in the old Tipperary space. The Tipperary was the most beautiful pub in Dallas. When Molly Maguire’s moved in, they didn’t change much. So it’s still the most beautiful pub in Dallas. The wooden snugs (the semi-private booths imported from Ireland) are still there. All the dark wood and stained glass are still there.

A few things have changed, though, and for the better. The Tipp had a reputation for getting a bit stuffy in the summer. Co-owner Hallie Clayton read a bunch of online reviews of the old place and took measures to correct problems that several people mentioned. He and his partners (Ricky Woolfolk and Joey Burzynski) installed a new 15-ton AC unit on the roof. You can feel the difference.

Many years ago, while in the employ of the now defunct Met magapaper, I attempted to find the coldest beer in Dallas, taking with me a digital thermometer that I plunged into pint after pint. When I visited the Tipp, they wouldn’t let me measure their beer’s temperature. The bartender said, “I know we’ll have the warmest beer in town. We do that on purpose. It’s the way beer is supposed to be served.” Or words to that effect. You know what? This isn’t Dublin. It’s Dallas. When it’s 103 degrees outside, only cold beer will do (with Guinness being the possible exception in my book; really cold Guinness don’t taste right).

Clayton and his crew installed a new draft system that cools the beer as it flows to the tap. Thank you, gentlemen.

(Watch out. Here comes an expert transition.) Clayton knows cold. He’s from Ottawa. That’s in Canada. Hockey brought him to Dallas; he was in the Stars’ farm system and arrived just in time for the lockout. The first Ottawa bar he ever worked in was called Molly Maguire’s, and Clayton, whose parents are from Ireland, says he has always wanted to run an Irish pub. His joint shares a name with several other pubs across the country, but they aren’t related.

Which brings me to the food, if only because that’s the only thing left to talk about, save for the dancing. (That one stank. Sorry.) I tried but one dish. But it’s the dish that every Irish pub has to do right: fish and chips. Here, though, they’re called “whale and chips” ($12): Guinness-battered haddock served with house-made tartar sauce spiked with a tangy touch of Dijon. Many places use cod for this dish. Clayton says haddock is the way to go because the fish has more flavor and because the fillets are bigger. I won’t argue. The two pieces on my plate were more than I could eat. They were crisp and not too greasy. As a side, I went with “sweet potato puffs,” which are tots made with sweet potatoes. They were addictive.

Here’s what else you’ll find on the menu: Guinness-braised short ribs ($16), the Tipperary Inn (half a roasted chicken, $14), Riley’s Traditional Shepherd’s Pie ($12), and Edgar Allen Poe’s (corned beef and cabbage, $18), among others. Appetizers include James Joyce (roasted baby red potatoes topped with smoked salmon, $7), Guinness wings ($7), and Guinness battered onion rings ($5), among others.

The comestibles, it should be noted, will soon be overseen by a chef whose name foodies will recognize. It will be a big-deal announcement in mid-September. Stay tuned for that.

So, the dancing. (One for three on transitions. Batting .333.) If you’re up for more raucous time than I had on my Tuesday visit, call ahead to learn which night the band Paddy Gone Wild will be playing (or check out their Facebook page). They play Molly Maguire’s about twice a month, usually accompanied by an Irish dance troupe from a local dance school. I overheard another customer talking about how packed the place got at their last performance.

Finally, my two quibbles. 1) the beer programming could use some attention. The taps pour nothing unusual: Blue Moon, Newcastle (on the menu as New Castle), Harp, Stella, Hoegaarden, etc. Each is $5. A Guinness will cost you 25 cents more. The bottle selection doesn’t get much more adventurous. Though I did find something called “Pilsner Uroquel” ($4.25) and something called “Dogfish Stone” ($5), which sounds like the love child of my two favorite breweries. Aside from the misspellings and miscues, the menu just seems a few steps behind a city that has embraced a place like Meddlesome Moth.

And 2) the servers ought to ditch the neckties. I’m sure they don’t enjoy wearing them. In a pub-like setting, ties are a pretense. They feel like flair.

In conclusion (ugh), I will use the following word that you don’t know because I adopted it and made a pledge to use it in conversation and writing so that it does not fall completely out of usage: I am not robletting you when I suggest that you give Molly Maguire’s a try. The Tipp is dead; long live its successor.

Here is a transcript of our phone conversation.
NN: What is the concept for The Moth?
SW: Huh? I hate that word. I am not calling it a gastropub which has been done to death but never really even done right. It is [Moth] a bar with better food. It will be chef-driven and will open March 1, 2010. The food will be easy and honest. We are interviewing chefs right now. We will deal with local stuff but let me tell you, if it is no good we won’t use it. So there.

NN: Oh, a BBF?
SW: Yes. And let me tell you—we not doing sliders, mac and cheese, flatbreads, or anything with aioli on it. If I see the word aioli again, I will shoot myself. I’m am sick of it all. We may have a wood-burning oven but if we do a pizza it will not be a flatbread it will be a $%^&*@ pizza and it will be a small part of what we do.

NN: Your other restaurants, Flying Saucer and Flying Fish, seem to have a common denominator. Did you call it The Moth because it flies?
SW: I have no idea why I am calling it The Moth. I like it. I like the way it sounds. That is as deep as I am. There is no visual or spiritual element or significance.

NN: Describe the menu.
SW: Well, it will be predominately small plates. At lunch there will a strong ladies element with a nice menu of healthy selections. At night it will turn into more a guy’s place. The beer element is 50% of the drink component but we will also have more wine and liquor than the Flying Saucer.  We will also have a great outdoor patio.

NN: What else?
SW: Well the developer is putting in three other restaurants in the development.

NN: What is the development called?
SW: *#%@, I can’t remember. Something like LOL for Lower Oak Lawn.

NN: Hmm. That is an unfortunate acronym. They should call it LoOla so that people won’t be laughing out loud.
SW: Hmm. You should write that.

If you have a question for Mr. Wynne or would like to apply for a job. Leave a comment.

I just called Hully & Mo’s and asked about Happy Hour pricing. I was told that everything would be $1 off during HH. I inquired further and was told that Domestics are $3, imports $4, and high end drafts (Fat Tire, Stella, etc.) would be $5. I asked about wine and was told “we have an extensive wine list…” I said “No, the HH prices…” he said wines would be $7 and $10 – EEK! A little rich for my HH wine palate. I’m work for a large company just across the street from the Quadrangle (Hully & Mo’s) and had hoped for a little better pricing than that, especially from a space that seems to be a bit cursed. Food is priced anywhere from $6.50 to $35, “$35 being a hand cut filet.” So, I guess we’ll see what happens and if the particular atmosphere is worth the extra $, especially given the other great HH specials in the immediate area.

Hmm. Happy Hour prices. That’s interesting. I’m not much of a Happy Hour follower, I prefer to get ripped in the privacy of my own home where I am happy to be in my jammies, but the reader brings up some good observations. Let’s slink in to Hully & Mo and take a look. Pay attention. Coming soon.

I hear the old Pescabar space is morphing into a “pub concept” to be called Exchange. Pub concepts are hot. I wish someone would get a sense of humor and open a pub concept offering “Recession Cuisine.” We could have a lot of fun writing that menu. Lots.

And speaking of fun, it sounds like Hully&Mo had a soft (hard?) opening on New Year’s Eve. One insider reports “they were swinging from the chandeliers.” See: pubs with chandeliers. That’s a nice start to the year. Okay then, let’s get this party started.