DFWTexEx

Oh man. My parents are Winstar fans. Since they discovered it, they rarely stay with me for more than a day when they come to visit. They say hi, take one of our cars and go up there. I have joined them a few times. It can be a horrible place. The crowd is a typical casino crowd. It used to be that the food was the worst part of the experience (along with the unacceptable antes on the table games). Other than El Fenix, there was nothing to eat in the place unless you liked the fried bologna at Toby Keith's restaurant. BUT, they recently added a Micky Mantle's / Kirby's set up. Now, there is a quiet place to get legitimate cocktails, nice wine, and upscale steakhouse fare. The happy hour is terrific (excellent lamp chops). If you go for Thanksgiving, be sure to eat there. Do not eat at any of the hotel restaurants or buffets if you can avoid it, except for maybe a basic breakfast. I have not been to the nightclub, but we did try their attempt at a Vegas style pool lounge party one weekend night last summer. It was laughably sad. I actually felt sorry for them. They had the LED lights, dancing girls, all of that. And a bunch of senior citizens sitting on the lounge chairs probably wanting them to turn down the music.

I agree. That's what I tried to say when I said it was a nice place to start or end the night. I wouldn't eat there.

It’s true that the food at Saint Rocco’s is terrible. Very expensive Macaroni Grill quality stuff, but the NYC / Frank Sinatra atmosphere and very good service is enough for some people. That all being said, they have a terrace / rooftop bar that has a fantastic view of the bridge and downtown. It’s on the third floor or so and it’s a very nice place to start or end the evening.

Thanks for the recs. Plans changed and we didn't make it in on Friday. We drove up in time for lunch at Xochi. Great, interesting food. Nice service. Walkable to the hotel. Perfect.

I agree. This is not a bad list. I might replace Fachini with Sprezza, but that may be because I have not been to Fachini. I would replace El Si Hay with Trompo. Knife doesn't belong on the list. Otherwise, yeah, it's a pretty good list.

Headed to Houston tomorrow for the Temple - Houston game on Saturday. Game time is 6 p.m. Saturday. We need one great dinner Friday night and one fun lunch on Saturday. We are staying downtown. We are from Dallas, so for dinner we are not looking for steaks or Mexican or anything we can get here. Prefer something chef driven and interesting. The last we did this we had the tasting menu at The Pass. For lunch, anything casual and fun and preferably in downtown would work. Recommendations appreciated!

Ocean Prime, sorry

Bullion: updated but classic French, in a really cool space downtown. Dallas' only Michelin star chef. Definitely see and be seen, but the food and service measure up. Great place for special occasion. The French Room: classic Dallas dress up spot. New chef that worked at great places (including Heston Blumenthol's place in London) is rolling out his new menu. I think this is the last place in Dallas that requires a jacket for men in the main room. Flora Street Cafe: more hip than the above two, but still a place to dress up and have a grown up night out. Do the tasting menu if you are somewhat adventurous eaters. Fearing's. Start with a drink at Rattlesnake, then go in for a big meal that will be excellent. Service is perfect and they will do up your anniversary. That's what they do. The Mansion: jury is still out on the changes the new chef is making. The bar scene is still great, if a bit douchy. Lucia: if you can get in, this is a different way to celebrate. Much more casual and homey, but service is very intimate; it may be the best meal in town. And walking around Bishop Arts after - go to get a slice of pie and or some chocolate at Dude -- can make this a romantic night. Skipping obvious big steakhouse style places (Al Biernet's, Prime, etc.) because of your post and focusing on chef driven places.

Aren't cocktails garnished with jalapenos that are smoked and candied or crusted with Mexican peanut candy or macerated in rosemary broth or some such? I can't see a place like La Cantera just slicing up a fresh or pickled jalapeno and putting it on a cocktail.

No idea what the criteria is, but according to the article they improved their safety stuff in the past few years after years of bad things, as you note.

"The crash just after takeoff of an Indonesian airline jet carrying 189 people will confound investigators, because none of the familiar characteristics of an aviation disaster was present: the airplane, a Boeing 737 Max-8, was brand new, having entered service only in August; the Max-8 is the most advanced version of the 737; the airline involved, Lion Air, was recently upgraded to the highest safety level; and there was no weather involved." https://www.thedailybeast.com/189-missing-in-lion-air-boeing-737-plane-crash-that-should-never-have-happened

I have to agree with this. That's why, I have pretty much switched to Trompo for that style of taco (different meats, I know, but the street taco style). The elote guy at El Si Hay is always outstanding if you are willing to deal with the complexities of how he chooses who is next in line...and there is always a line.

Is it odd that the size of each steak is not provided on the menu? Is that bone in 30 ounces, intended for 2 +? Did I miss something? If I have to ask, should I just not go there?

I did got to Fort Santiago, the Cathedral and the historical part of the city. It's amazing to me that these people are still thriving when you consider the number of natural disasters and wars that have absolutely devastated them. Beautiful, old part of town. Had some buko juice, which was nicely refreshing in the heat. I agree about the food. The seafood was good because it was fresh and simply prepared. Beyond that, I didn't really have anything that stood out, but that was partly because this was a short trip and I didn't have a lot of time to explore. The BPO seems to be pretty mature in the Manila area. I think Eastwood City was created just for that world. It's a 24/7 commercial center, servicing the C shift people who work during US business hours. That is where we are setting up.

Back from this trip: City was more fun than I thought. I stayed in at the Peninsula in Makati and had business in Eastwood, so I know I was mostly in the "good parts" but I did not expect such a modern and Western place. Felt like any big US city. I walked around at night around the hotel. There are some urban green spaces surrounded by restaurants. Women were jogging at night by themselves; that's how safe it felt. Duterte may be a maniac, but according to my driver, the criminals are scared of him (for now). RollLeft's tip about the NBA was no joke. Even the little guys bicycling you around the tourist spots could talk hoops. On my last day, the sports section of the local paper had one story about Pacquiao and 3 NPA stories on its front page (a long story on the death of Tex Winter, a story about the Utah Jazz defense, and a story about Donovan Mitchell) We did go to Jollibee. I did not have spaghetti but had a little burger with one piece of delicious, spicy fried chicken. The standard fast food menu there (including McDonald's) was fried chicken (pieces, not tenders or nuggets), spaghetti and a hamburger steak with mushroom gravy. Hamburgers were listed as "other items". The seafood is great as expected. Our best meal was the Dampa Seafood Market, where we walked the stalls and picked the best fish, giant prawns and some squid... and then walked into a restaurant and had them cook it up for us. It's a little rough in there but they keep it clean and smelling fresh. It's worth the drive. Speaking of drives...the worst traffic that I have ever seen. The trains and buses don't work well. I don't know how they will figure it out. Waze and Google Maps alternated between working and not working. But, one usually kicked in and got us around. There is no Uber. Didn't get to go to the clubs or see the woman and or pretend women dancing. But, I did ask about that because on the next trip, more guys are coming. So, that will be setup and I will report back.

Did DFW to Hong Kong and doing return today. 16:30 to get here. In AA's sweet 777 business class pod/seats. With some wine and a whiskey, pretty sure I got pretty good 8 hours sleep plus a couple of movies on the outbound. Didn't bother me a bit. Only 14:40 to get back.

Little Katana will be very good, but quiet and traditional. If you want something newer, with more variety and more lively, with cocktails and all that, try this place at the Toyota Music Factory if there is not a show there that night. We enjoyed it. Kabuki

This really is the ultimate guide to Indian food in DFW. Excellent article. https://www.dmagazine.com/publications/d-magazine/2017/may/best-indian-food-dallas-chaat-samosas-tandoori-masala/

Except for drunken show tunes nights on the front porch, I pass.

Seems that I will be going there on a business trip in a couple of weeks. Traveling solo. Manila metro only. Staying in Makati. Work stuff in Eastwood. This will be my first visit. Sadly, I can't get out to the islands on this trip (maybe next time since we are opening an office there). Pro tips? Me: gay, middle aged guy, not into ladyboys.

Up until a year ago or so, the food at PhD was not fit for human consumption. It was really bad. But, they changed a few things. I have ventured back slowly (it's a short walk from my house). The wings are good. The nachos are really terrific actually. I order them without meat and with extra jalapenos. They are old school: individual, broiler melted nachos instead of the gloppy cheese sauce over chips. I don't think the burger is that great, but it's at least ok now (and 1000% better than how they started). The rest of it is hit and miss, from what I can (stopped eating there for a while). Lots of TVs, excellent service usually, good drink and beer selection (not so much for wine), great patio on nice days. The live music is not that good and can be distracting if you want to watch games. Nova is our go-to for neighborhood bar/restaurant because the food is so much better, but it will be pricey if you sit and drink or order more than pizza. PhD is a good, lower cost, sports bar alternative, especially for watching games. The crowds are very different, but both fill a need. Welcome to the neighborhood!

Not sure if you are near North Oak Cliff/Bishop Arts, but the brunch choices down here are great. Hattie's for a nice family brunch when you are dressed for church would be my recommendation, but Boulevardiere, Bolsa and Smoke are also top notch. Nova too, but it's more of boozy crowd, with live music and all that, even if the patio is very family friendly.

My bad then. It just seemed like Oia was crowded as fuck and not fun at all.

We did Athens, Santorini and Crete. All were great in different ways. Athens was much better than we expected. We really enjoyed it. Of course, part of this was because we stayed at the Royal Britagne, with views of the Acropolis. I highly recommend this place. We did quite a bit of walking and really loved the city (especially the semi-licensed packs of well kept, stray dogs). The rooftop restaurant at the Britagne is beautiful for breakfast, but I would not recommend it for dinner (over priced and underwhelming). Santorni was gorgeous and I look forward to going back. But, again, it has a lot do with where you stay. I think a poster up thread recommended staying up away from Fira, in one of the smaller villages overlooking the Caldera We stayed in Imerovigli at the Chromata and it was perfect. Quite, cave style hotel with perfect views of the Caldera. The village around us was nice and quite, with a couple of nice places to eat. We walked into Fira (about a 15 minute walk, although it is a hard uphill coming back) a few times for dinner and nightlife. We took a bus to Oia. What a shitshow. Yes, it has some iconic views, but that is where the cruise ships land. We could barely walk through some of the streets and we were there in "shoulder" season / October. I can't imagine what it would be like in Summer. I would not stay there and I would not even go back there to visit. Fira would not be as bad. Oh, and as recommended above, definitely do a Catarman cruise. You can do a day one with more beach activity. We chose a sunset one and still got some swimming in (especially at the hot springs) and it was a highlight of the trip. Pick a nice one where there are going to just be a handful of people on board with you. Crete was quite nice. I can't say too much about it because we stayed at a big hotel (Blue Palace) that was full of surly Russians. The villages nearby were nice. We skipped meals at the hotel to eat along the water in more simple tavernas. Much better. We were in Elounda and visited Spinalonga island, which was creepy and interesting. The beach was rocky. But I liked the vibe in Crete a lot. It felt like Mexico. Knossos was a good stop to see some significant ruins on the way to the airport in Heraklion (one of the most ridiculous aiports I have been to, by the way).

This is right. We have had Samsung front loads for about 8 years. No issues at all. No smells. Very good machines.