DFWTexEx

Oh, go see To Kill a Mockingbird. It's extraordinary, a whole new take on a book I knew well. And Bar Centrale is legit.

My report (no pics) of new places I tried on this trip: Marea: classic, Central Park South, 2 Michelin star, everything fantastic from start to finish, extraordinary service. We had never been, but we will go back. Italian seafood. The fuselli with octopus and a bone marrow red sauce is on one list of the "iconic" dishes of NYC. We ordered one for the table. It lived up to the reputation. I shared a whole, salt roasted branzino with one other person. It was perfect, as were the the roasted mushrooms and brocollini on the side. Hutong: NYC outpost of a Hong Kong restaurant. In the old Le Cirque space on Lex. Totally fabulous room, perfect service, and really good upscale Northern Chinese food. We had the special dim sum box, soup dumplings, and 1/2 Peking duck (carved tableside by an older Chinese guy who has done this about 10,000 times and served in two stages). The only things less than memorable were the sides of fried rice and Chinese broccoli. Big city night out. Boqueria / 40th street. Really fun tapas place. Sat at chef's counter overlooking the kitchen and within clear earshot of the guys yelling at each other in Spanish. Good show! Perfect for a light pre-theater meal (and way better than those prix fixe menus). We shared a very nice platter of Spanish meats and cheeses and a tortilla. I know this is something of a NYC chain, but happy to see something like this in the Theater District.

I should point out that there are separate licenses for official tour guides, to get into places like the Taj or Red Fort. Your driver should be great, but he can't go in with you or be your guide. For not much money, they (either Mr. Bunty or the driver) will arrange for a tour guide. I usually loathe tour guides, but my driver to Agra talked me into it and I don't regret it. Touring the Taj and the Red Fort with someone who can really speak to it was very helpful and he is your private guide, so you control the speed and detail. It was well worth it. I did the Taj in the afternoon with the guide and then went back the next morning at sunrise and just hung by myself and took pictures.

Me too. This is who I used: India Private Driver Mr. Bunty will take care of you. Ask for a driver named Atma Ram.

It might be on the pricier side, by I highly recommend the JW Marriot Aerocity. It's by the airport and is a much welcome relief after a long flight (or if you are leaving early in the morning). It's in a quiet business park and near shopping. They treat you really well. The shower is among the best I have ever had (so important) and there is a sports bar / lounge that serves global/Western food. It is not really centrally located, but I am not sure there is any location in Delhi that makes seeing the sights easy. Just get a driver and let him do the work. If you need a recommendation for a good, affordable service let me know. The company I used was terrific and reliable, but not luxurious. And if you are going to the Taj, don't do a day trip. Get the driver to take you and spend the night in Agra. If you can swing it at all, stay at the Oberoi. It is definitely pricey for India, but it is a once in a lifetime experience that is worth it. Your room will have a terrace overlooking the Taj and they will golf cart you over there at sunrise. And it may have the best hotel pool I have ever experienced.

I enjoyed the series and enjoyed the film. I was pleasantly surprised that they made no attempt to "reset" the story. It was simply the next episode. If you didn't know the show, you would enjoy many of the moments and the nice looking film, but much of it would be lost on you. I saw it with my mother, father and sister. My mother and I were fans of the show. My father and sister were not. I gave them a 15 minute summation of the series before we went in and helped them. My mother has been dealing with health stuff and we were happy that she agreed to go. As it ended, she said out loud, "I don't want it to end". That made me so happy. And I agreed.

Not negged at all. I agree with a lot of your take. I think the premise is that Dallas is not just about steakhouses any more and it's worth a look for its evolving and improving food scene, which is true. I didn't take it as, "We thought about and decided that Dallas has the best restaurants in the country". It's like, "Wow! Dallas has interesting food? Who knew?"

This is moderately cool. It would be truly exciting and I would be all in if it actually downtown Dallas to downtown Houston. In Dallas, it will actually make it to the Cedars, about 1/2 mile short of Union Station where it could connect to light rail and the TRE. From what I understand in "Houston" it will stop at Northwest Mall, outside the loop, necessitating a transfer to ride share for the most important part of the trip.

Posting this here instead of the main thread so it doesn't derail into a Houston vs. Dallas vs. Austin troll war. Very interesting to read especially since Dallas has historically been largely ignored by the national food press and the Beard awards. I have to say that a lot of interesting places have opened up recently to supplement the great steakhouses. I haven't been to Petra yet, but all my friends are enthusiastic about how good it is and I did love Misti's cooking at Small. Khao is the tits. I have been twice and it is all that. Simple, unpretentious, almost fast foody, but creative and so good. I think the recent good press is also helped by the new good editor at the DMN who has more national good will than Leslie did. Plus Bon Appetite named Trompo one of their best new restaurants a couple of years ago, so Dallas was on its radar.

This could go in the Bishop Arts thread too, but here come Pinchos/Pinxtos. It's from the Wild Detectives guys, so I'm intrigued and hopeful. They hit a home run there. If they capture the unique feel of that place with good food and wine, this will be be terrific and very Spanish. Sketches of Spain

OG Locals gave up on BA when the valets came. I hear about it ad nauseum every couple of months on FB. I'm 15 years local and love a lot what is happening. The development is putting in parking that might help the area overall. Bolsa, by the way, is still rocking it. So, is Hattie's. It's nice that with all the new comers, the places that made the area what it is are still at the top of their game. Seriously, the beef tartare at Bolsa that we had a couple of weeks ago is one of the best things I have tasted in a long time.

This is very cool and I look forward to it. They have Iberico at Central Market, but I bet something like this will take it to another level. The only other Spanish place I know is Izkina in Deep Ellum. It's definitely a bar that serves tapas as snacks, but that is more or less how it's done in Spain. Not high end at all, but the one time I went, the food was good even if the place was a bit disorganized. We are definitely missing the foodie Spanish experience (especially since Flores' place in Trinity Groves place closed).

Those awesome Jimmy's sandwiches are classics, no argument here. But, in the exact opposite direction and probably what I crave the most is the jambon buerre at Scardello's in the farmer's market. It just a crusty baguette loaded with nice rosemary ham and so much french butter than I usually ask for half butter. That's it. No cheese. No vegetables. No dressings. Nothing. So simple and so perfectly good. And a few steps away is the Banh Mi at Nammi. This is the first banh mi I ever had, so it's still my favorite. I love a good Mexican torta and getting one in Mexico is usually my favorite lunch on my trips down there. I have not found an equivalent in Dallas, even in Oak Cliff. I need to keep trying.

If that is straight up barbacoa, I'm in 100%. If it's some sort of barbacoa in salsa, I"ll pass. But, I can see that cone being excellent and perfect fair food. Good idea .

From D: Good Companions: a historic Craftman-style house has been converted into a cozy English cottage-style coffee shop, a 7 a.m. – 4 p.m. location with a fireplace and couches for lounging, sticky buns and house-churned butter. There will be bites like kouign amann pastries and prosciutto baguette sandwiches that can be taken out and eaten under the oak tree or with a glass of natural wine, an obsession of Natasha’s that will find expression here. The name is inspired by Michael and Natasha’s grandparents, who belonged to a British cycling club of the same name. (“Cycling is a big part of Oak Cliff,” Michael says.) It's all so precious, but I can't deny that I will be there.

Good to have a thread about Bishop Arts, that's my hood. I tried to get into the soft opening of the Botanist, but it was packed. I hope to try Paradiso soon; it looks like a nice add to the district. That little courtyard with the bar and the restaurant will be perfect in a couple of months. The anti-gentrification crowd is probably horrified, but I like it.

I am still a big fan of the Big Night. Excellent film and the uncut final scene is classic cinema, what a story it tells. Big Night's big meal (not the eggs at the end) came to mind when I though of the thread title. Babette's Feast, of course,

Look at that subtle off-white coloring. The tasteful thickness of it. Oh my God, it even has a watermark.

We went back in May, early in its run. I agree the food was very good, and, like you, we especially loved the gnochi. Our waiter was fine with our ordering tapas style, in waves. Considering we had no idea how big the portions were (and it was difficult to tell from the menu), that worked out well. I guess if I lived in the area, I would love the casual vibe of the place. I would like that I could go get interesting, well prepared food in flip flops and shorts or a business suit. For us, that place is Nova. But, living in Oak Cliff means that I have to pass several good to great restaurants to get to a place like Homewood and for the bother, it has to be special. Lando, on a separate thread, you talked about how the space, service and food all have to be great (not fancy, they just need feel right) to create a special night. I agree completely, which is why Homewood fell flat to me. It felt like a slightly upscale Denny's. The server was casual and as disinterested as could be (no sense of the excitement that should have been there considering the restaurant was just a couple of weeks old). The table and settings were plain. Nothing special. Yes, I will go back, especially if invited by friends who live up there or if we are already in the area, but I just can't see making a reservation and Ubering up there for another meal there. Maybe that's just me.

BART from SFO is a breeze. That's my go to when I fly into SFO. I hate being in traffic. Yes, you take an airport train to the BART station, but that is no big deal. And it's fine with luggage; lots of people use it to get to and from SFO. Exit Powell Street. You hotel should be a short walk or a short Uber depending on where you are.

Understanding that all cable / internet companies subject you to at least one ring of hell, how is Spectrum? I have been with Uverse/DirectTV for years but the cost is out of control. The high speed internet packages from Spectrum look great and when packaged with TV seem like a good deal. A buddy down the street works at Spectrum corporate and swears by it and assures me that it will be great and he will get me A+ support, etc. Weighing that against all the complications of cord cutting. I am willing to pay some extra for ease of use, so long as the product is great quality and reliable.

Yeah, cool shirt but the shit hot part was when he took it off. 55 years old. Damn. Saw it last night at the Texas Theater in Oak Cliff, classic single screen theater. Ran into a bunch of neighbors and friends at the bar. Old School. It was the right place to see it. They dug into archives and found out that Wrecking Crew was licensed to the Texas in its first run, so they were able to secure it for one showing next week right after this film. Overall, I enjoyed it very much. And I am liking it more as I think about it. It's one of those films that not about what you think it's about. I read a review today that said it was a terrible movie because it was a movie about the Sharon Tate murders and it focussed too much on the two main guys. WTF? The look and feel, cinematography, set design, etc. were terrific and DeCaprio and Pitt were spot on. Great performances. I give it two thumbs up.

Does not compute. I have only been one of the asshole tourists doing a day trip but would like to stay on the island next year. Do you recommend a hotel that does not have a swimmable beach? On a beach vacation. I get it at Cabo because you go for the pools, but this is the Caribbean.

I really don't think it's about the food. There are places in Dallas cranking out aggressive, foodie food and doing well (and picking up steam): Petra, Homewood, Mot Hai Ba, Khao...hell even Marcellaio has duck tongues. I think it's about the atmosphere. Unless a place is serving classic French (or at least French inspired food), folks just don't think it's worth putting away the jeans and khakis and eating on a white table cloth with nice cutlery and linens. Everything has gone casual. Bouillon is the one new restaurant where many folks still dress up, but, hell, the servers are in jeans and leather aprons. Homewood, for instance, is putting out some serious food. Matt McAlister can kick all sorts of ass. But, it's in a barely renovated Becks Prime spot. We were seated in a counter where the benches were upholstered in classic Denny's style. The food was terrific, but it did not feel like a special night out. And maybe that's the point. McAlister wanted a place where you could stumble in flip flops and have aggressive, high end food. And, so far, it's working. Pyles is trying to find that balance. He closed Stephen Pyles because he thought that Michelin was coming to Texas and wanted to position himself for a star or two. That was what Flora Street was all about. His gamble on the high end experience did not pay off.

Too late. Just like that, poof! Both Byres and the Fauna chef are gone. Fauna is being run by Pyle's son and is scaled back to weekends only. We can't have nice things. More changes at Flora Street