KMango

*bumpity* This free course starts in two days for anyone wanting to jump into the MOOC. (if this were a comedy course) (would it be a) (mooc-ha?)

I look to the writer's intention on this one... This individual did not write with the intention of helping you remedy a deficient business approach. This individual wrote in an effort to shame you. They wanted what they wanted when they wanted it, and woe be to whoever got in their way. As GM, it is absolutely your call whether to slide parties over to accommodate an additional party. It's a judgment call every time. Shoving people together who don't want to be together has the potential to derail several party's meals, it's not always beneficial to everyone involved. You communicated what you were doing and why you were doing it, and you also gave them multiple opportunities for an alternative seating choice. This lost patron's reaction is unnecessarily caustic and irrational. Free drinks or apps should not have been expected because this person's experience, as a result of their own choices, was not unreasonable on a busy Friday night. The writer's intentions are not problem-solving, they are self-serving. This individual is in search of a free meal or some other reward. They were also aiming their text towards a high-five from the friend they copied. You owe this person nothing.

Fred's Texas Cafe, 915 Currie St, Fort Worth, TX 76107 Rarely do I walk into a joint thinking "OK, this is straight out of an episode of Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives." And even more rarely am I correct. But I was. Search engines confirm that back in 2008, Guy Fieri visited this restaurant and likely did the place proud. Fred's Texas Café features a no-frills open space, a small menu renowned for its burgers, proudly proclaims "cold ass beer" on tap, and fills paper baskets with fan-building flavor. Apparently, the publicity was good for tourism and business. Fred's now has two locations in Fort Worth. The original on the corner of Currie Street in the Cultural District will remind you of Key West, New Orleans, and your most recent tropical island beach shack experience. This far inland, the long boards above the bamboo bar make no sense. Form-fitting metal bar stools, straight from a Nine Inch Nails video, are inexplicably comfortable. And how in the world a burger can taste so good in a no-frills, seat-yourself, indifferent service, open-air environment will likely remain a mystery. At $11.50, the Diablo Burger sounds extravagant for a "Dive", but it's a mammoth 3/4 of a pound of beef. It comes stacked with sliced, glistening red chipotles, diced sweet grilled onion, melted Swiss cheese, ridged slices of righteously assertive pickle, lettuce, tomato, mustard and mayo, alongside a massive stack of hand-cut, well-seasoned French fries. I sheepishly counted, and it's a seven-napkin burger, even if cut in half to mitigate messiness. The chipotles are deeply smoky and true to their spicy capsicum roots. They leave a gratifying, racy kick long after the meal is finished. This burger will remind you why smoked jalapeno became such a popular flavor, and how real-deal peppers with seeds and membranes left intact trump any approximated aioli, pan sauce, or other condiment conduit. Live music happens most nights of the week at this location. If you could snag a couple of stools near the trees, it would be marvelously fun, although crowded. A visible hint of people-packing potential appears in snake-line stanchions wrapped around the entrance. These stand empty during mid-afternoon, the venue mostly quiet, a drifting breeze from overhead fans unobstructed by droves of other patrons. Once you've finished your meal, you can zip your car over to the nearby Botanic Garden or Forth Worth Nature Center. Another option is to stick around the Cultural District on foot and enjoy an afternoon of museums. As nightfall descends, the neighborhood lights up with entertainment from numerous businesses. Among these is the chance for a return trip, and live soundtrack, to accompany a second open-air burger at Fred's.

Say hi next time! No In-and-Out burger yet, but I did see the tallest amusement ride in the Western Hemisphere at the State Fair, see pic. And a bird flew out of it as part of a raptor show. Centimeters above my head, nearly gave me a new hair part. Wowza, Lone Star State. (have you been to flying fish in old town alexandria?) (i once took over the karaoke bar there) (in an inspired, and thankfully fleeting, moment)

Flying Fish, Multiple Locations Flying Fish wants your business. They want to see you at both of their Dallas locations, the one on Luther Lane in Dallas's Preston Center and at the one further north on Belt Line Road in Addison. Although the restaurant wants your business, your GPS will vex you. Somehow, the address of the Addison location results in the elusive "close but not arrived" outcome. You'll wind up parking around the corner. Far around the corner. And if you've just given blood and the sun beats down on you like a condemned prisoner as you walk your quarter mile mistake, you'll be vexed by that there technology. So do give blood, the gift of life. Just don't park at the Addison Whole Foods afterwards in search of your lunch. Instead park on Montfort Drive, driving past the restaurant first to confirm your location. Counter service at both locations is from friendly and patient staff. They'll cheerfully tell you their favorites, whether it's fried oysters, steamed crawfish, grilled shrimp, the gumbo, or one of the other choices from the ample menu. The choices vary in size and depth between the different locations. Grits and Gumbo ($7.99) and tender, moist, gratifyingly seasoned, fried frog legs ($10.99 for a dozen) are personal favorites from Luther Lane, but not available in Addison. Tree-shaded outdoor seating is a feature in Addison, but not at Preston Center. Shellacked trophy fish and decoy ducks adorn the walls of both locations. You'll enjoy your casual, cornmeal-breaded everything on a picnic table or checkered plastic tablecloth. There are frugal options throughout the menu, but aiming higher, you can easily spend $20 a person without beverages for casual food served in plastic baskets. I've needed a hefty splash of Tabasco or a squeeze of lemon to enliven most fried selections. Draft beer goes down easy served in frozen glasses ($2.75 - $3.75). Grilled yellow squash and zucchini ($1.99, Preston location) are a highlight, a welcome charred counterpoint to the deep fryer's heaviness. Portions are generous, and finding food of this type without a 20% gratuity can be a crave-filling value. If you select your order to go, you'll receive a handwritten note from the packager, see enclosed picture. It's an impressive gesture of accountability, indicating how important customer satisfaction is to their business. Flying Fish has six other locations, from Fort Worth to Arkansas to Tennessee. (the american red cross has dozens) (which grows to thousands) (if you count mobile donation drives)

I'd say "yes, good call", but the shapes and flavors vary widely from venue to venue. Some offer the gloriously crunchy exterior and creamy interior from quick roasting after oil spritz, others appear from a deep fryer manifesting a different herb profile. The granularity of polenta varies as well. I'll investigate further and learn what's behind the scenes.

Corporate is an anagram, mebbe? (mmm) (re: rat coop) (par eco rot)

Don't feel too weird about it. He showed up in my post! (what you do to a drink) (a vampire with a soul) (a swiss army knife of slang)

More of an observation than a specific reflection/review... Parmesan-spiked polenta croutons are a popular menu ingredient in this town. Not sure if it's the gluten-free focus, ubiquity of corn, or a quiet uprising of alternative grain/vegetable/pseudocereal choices in the culinary Artist Formerly Known As Wheat. Whatever the cause, I am a fan.

The Bar at Cool River Café, 1045 Hidden Ridge, Irving, Texas, 75038 Yes, it's an excessive, expansive cathedral disguised as a dark wood bar. Yes, that is likely the largest sports screen you've ever seen outside of a stadium. Yes, that was last year's linebacker and this year's safety who just walked by. Yes, the nighttime cocktail waitresses wear little clothing, and look fresh off a photo shoot. It's Texas, ya'll. From the street, you would never know that this outpost of the Cool River Café chain is the place to see and be seen in Irving. One hint would be that valet parking is available most nights, and necessary, as crowds can easily fill the lots on a random mid-week evening. Once you enter, the restaurant looms to the left, the bar to the right. The left offers an upscale steakhouse, created with careful attention to atmospheric details, a dimly lit leather and wood retreat. The usual suspect beef cuts are cooked as expected ($25 - $40), a la carte vegetables steamed, sautéed, or baked as expected ($7.50), the white linen table crumber deployed after the main course as expected. The only thing unexpected was the Cajun-fried rock lobster tail (market price), a miracle of shatter-crisp seasoning with moist and briny meat, an unusual offering for this setting. Crispy crustacean aside, the real draw here is the bar for the carnival of pretty people in an impressively refined setting. Unlike the restaurant, smoking is allowed in the bar and in the adjacent cigar room reminiscent of a billionaire's library. Powerful filtration and ionic-boost air filters prevent an offending cloud cover, a triumph of expensive technology. The lingering scent will still make you launder your clothes and wash your hair, but you won't notice in the moment that others are celebrating their right to choose poorly. The bar menu ($9 - $20) offers the obligatory carne asada tacos, quesadillas, and a flavor-packed chipotle "mud" black bean dip. What it misses in imagination it makes up in quality, food composed carefully from solid ingredients, and easy to enjoy while you hit a few cue balls or cheer a few long throws. Yes, the speaker system will awe you with crystalline sound that somehow does not diminish your companion's spoken airwaves. Yes, the depth of by-the-glass wine and infinite cocktail options are impressive. Yes, Tuesday is cigar night where you can learn to roll your own. Yes, this is Dallas.

Daan Asian Sushi Bistro & Bar, 2805 E Grapevine Mills Cir, Grapevine, TX 76051 Tucked away in the corner of the Grapevine Mills parking lot, Daan Sushi met the three-fold early-dinner criteria check: (1) less than five minutes away from a 6PM appointment, (2) open for dinner at 5PM, (3) rated highly by numerous social media outlets. Alas, it met three checks to get in, and swung three flavor strikes to get out. I won't be back. The décor was clean line/black lacquer, the service friendly and efficient, but food quality edged just past food court and a stop below convenience store. Hot and Sour Soup was warm in temperature only with assertive salt preventing any semblance of tang. Dolsot Bibimbap ($13.95) arrived in a sizzling pot with lower-end stoneware insufficiently warm to enable crispy rice. Components of sliced cucumber, seaweed, soybean sprouts and julienned carrot were off-the-supermarket-shelf pedestrian and worse, neither pickled nor seasoned. This was bland in a bowl that no amount of squeeze-bottle hot sauce would salvage. The much-revered Ahi Tuna Tower (spicy tuna, rice, three types of caviar, avocado, other components, $14.95) soared high above the plate, appearing promisingly flavorful. Once mashed to a monotone pulp by the server, however, it looked and tasted far less than the sum of its parts. The metallic marker of surimi dominated the palate, with no textural intrigue and a glaring lack of specificity of what one was tasting. This would be a much better dish if re-conceptualized, served with a stack of Nori leaves to punch up salinity or as a dip for a newly conceived Asian-fusion dipping vessel. Why the social media rave reviews of this place? For one, it can be inexpensive; two for $20 for generous-quantity maki; two for $24 for massive specialty rolls. Another secret to success is the maki menu's eye-popping selection of toppings guaranteed to mask any flavor of fish, with more baked and bizarre rolls than a Denver marijuana dispensary. I can see groups having a fun time here, finding this an exotic reprieve after a long day of shopping at the adjacent Mills. It's a specific target market, I am not in it, thus my search continues for memorable-quality sushi and sashimi in the DFW area.

It's not mousse, but I wonder if a homemade strawberry marshmallow fluff would work in a layer cake.

Cavalli Pizza Napoletana, 3601 Regent Blvd #115, Irving, TX 75063 A nondescript strip mall in Irving houses Cavalli, one of the three VPN-certified pizzerias in Texas. The venue is small, casual, inexpensive, and easy to find near the DFW airport. Twenty or so mesh wire tables combine with another half-dozen outdoor sets, which seems insufficient to seat the droves of fans during peak times. Irving is one of two Cavalli locations, and this one provides fast casual ordering at the counter followed by table delivery. What They Tell You: Jalapeno and Artichoke Dip $7, served with Crostini; a bland description on the brief menu. What They Don't Tell You: The crostini is from a freshly-rolled, elongated loaf of pizza dough that puffs in the blistering oven right in front of you, then is cut and crisped back in the oven just before serving. They don't tell you that it will be graced with the fruity and full palate experience of a top-notch olive oil. Or that the dip is mousse-like in texture, rich with chopped artichoke heart, accented by the spicy pep-kick from seasonally bursting jalapenos, and topped with the brow-raising sharpness of exceptional Parmigiano. And they certainly won't tell you this is one of the best artichoke dips you will have ever had, they'll let it be the sleeper of the menu. Those crazy Cavallis! They also won't tell you that a $7.25 12-inch (personal size) Margherita will not be enough. So you'll need to order more than one pie, or choose a larger pie, because leftovers would be an honorable thing. The brightness of the tomato and absolute majesty of the ideal amount of house-made mozzarella make this classic a must-have. Parking is ample. Unlike beloved Pupatella in Virginia, there is no designated waiting area for takeout orders, so you'll wind up bumping against bussers and patrons. Minimize waiting by calling ahead and choosing from the menu ahead of time. And order a lot.

Yes, I hit fresh hatch chile season at it's brief peak here in Dallas! Central Market was roasting them in front of the store, so I picked up a package via their produce section. Been getting a lot of mileage via marinades, dressings, sauces, and other inspirations. No oven here, so cannot stuff and bake. I did bring my pressure cooker, and a stew would be an excellent option, but it's still over 95 degrees here every day so I can't bring myself to do it.

Hatch chile-marinated duck breast, pan seared for medium rare, plus crispy skin Coarse-mashed jewel yams and Japanese sweet potato, pressure-cooked with chicken broth, cloves of garlic and garam masala Self-satisfaction for making the most of a corporate housing kitchen (missing kitchenaid mixer) (cuisinart food processor) (technivorm coffee maker)

OK, this is not really fair because fellow DR members cannot pop down the street to procure, but one of the differences about shopping in DFW is the variety and abundance of fresh figs. I took a pic this morning at Central Market, enclosed, to share with my fig-tree gifted neighbor back in Virginia. I then saw this thread so had to post. I am surprised by how popular fresh figs are here. I want to figure out how to work with the fresh figs and duck breast or quail, two other prolific meats in this area. Will report back on findings. And lperry, if I discover any new vegetarian concoctions, will share the word!

Yes, they are, if she's controlling for added fat and sodium and avoiding the cost of a triple bypass surgery later. Not to mention avoiding car accidents on the way back and forth to all those restaurants and the cost of drunk driving, even once. Like most costs, comparing a one-time meal vs. cook at home is merely one data point on a multiple-year, lifecycle (ha! pun in this case!), cumulative, comprehensive cost picture. This is one way of echoing your sentiment "it depends". Although a certain elderly product has really mucked with my comfort using that phrase...

From less than 24 hours into my residence here"¦consider this the first of many installments in Musings About Dallas/Forth Worth (MAD). The local honey pairs miraculously with smoky flavors. How do I know? Evidence #1: The Round Rock Honey vendor handed me a recipe for honey and cumin okra. Evidence #2: For a mid-morning snack, I cubed a market cantaloupe, added a drizzle of the honey and a crumbling of Maldon smoked sea salt flakes. Was most likely the best fruit dish I've had all year. Evidence #3: When I licked the bowl, some dripped on my shirt, and I've been wearing it all day like a badge of honor. This is how folks from DC roll, ya'll. Amen for the absurd level of sunshine that delivers such ambrosia fruit and accompanying apiaries. Related Links Round Rock Honey: http://www.roundrockhoney.com/ Coppell Farmer's Market: http://www.coppellfarmersmarket.org/

Good to know! I keep two jars of coconut oil in the house; one for the kitchen, one for the bathroom. Coconut oil hair masque once a month (30 minute minimum; overnight at most) keeps hair in impossibly good health. A tiny amount is also a gloriously effective eye makeup remover, with bonus points for moisturizing at the end of a long day (especially in this Texan's dry air adventures). A keenly versatile natural product, I will be checking out the Costco aisles soon to snag their version.

For pictures that will make you cry and crave pizza at 8:00 in the morning, type Pupatella in the search box on Pinterest. *swoon*

Rounding out the final lap to the finish line of Northern Virginia/D.C., today I finally made it to M.E. Swing Alexandria during open hours. The openness of the space, coupled with the simplicity of unfinished wood tables and lack of Torani-hoarding clutter, appealed to my eyes and acoustic sensibilities. In few places this close to the city can you walk in and say "wow, this is a lot of room". Pour overs, Chemex, espressos, and drip brews are the focus here. Minimalists and purists will appreciate the lack of distraction-inducing options from syrups and garnish, others will find it limiting. I ordered the iced coffee ($3), served quickly from friendly baristas. It delivered smooth complexity, an excellent and refreshing quencher. Major bonus points for Trickling Springs cream, kept in a glass carafe, over ice, available for customers to pour at will. This is not an inexpensive choice, a testament to a business that seeks honorable ingredients to accompany its flagship products.

There is a tie to this idea and the Anderson piece, but it's not yet gelling in my Kopper Kettle-addled brain...

Sounds like a fun experiment. Assuming no licensing issues, and assuming no risk to your records; that they would take care of them as if you were standing right there... The diner should consider promoting and marketing each month's theme using social media. If the business does not yet have a social media presence tied to what residents in a ten-mile radius care about, now is the time to build that. The rarity of hearing old tracks in their original medium could draw new, curious customers. Rather than having them ride into the sunset soundtrack once the promotion is over, consider how get them to return the following month once the promotion has ended. Building that thinking in early will ensure this is not just a one-time business boon. Remember that the ubiquity of instant online music is in competition with the novelty of "wait in line" jukebox queues. Other on-site draws, like staff dressed in clothing from that era/season, simply printed posters capturing scenes from the decade or theme, would enhance the attraction and effect. Consider a simple tracking mechanism for how often patrons choose the jukebox. Low tech, i.e, the staff can keep a white board and make a tick mark whenever they hear a track. This data can inform future actions, i.e., "those 60s songs are getting a ton of play the past two weeks, should we extend this promotion a month?". What method of payment do the jukeboxes accept? If it's coins, make sure there are signs that say "ask us for coins!" or other inexpensive enticements for first-time users.

My Vinturi has cracked inside, originating from the interior edge of an air hole. The crack does not seem to impact functionality. Web searches reveal this is a common issue. Looks kinda cool, did not photo well or else would enclose pic. P.S. Guests adore the Vinturi. Makes subsequent pours feel more like a celebration, and does boost drinkability for less expensive selections.

This is a bump/shout out to the free Science & Cooking course that starts in October. The "around the world", chemistry, physics, and engineering aspects are appealing. If anyone else signs up, maybe we can Skype while doing the kitchen-based homework assignments. (mischieftain + kitchen cam) (equals) (egg drop bloop)