Back Talk Far North Dallas

Toll roads: Texans say no -- loudly

Or, on a scale of 10, 45 percent of us give toll roads a grade of 4 or less and nearly a quarter of us give it a zero. That's the result of a survey taken by the Texas Lyceum think tank, which looked at Texans' attitudes toward building and paying for new highways. And what do we like even less? Tolling existing roads, where opposition increased to 69 percent, including 53 percent who "strongly" oppose tolls on existing highways. Think tolls on LBJ to pay for its upkeep and maintenance, and you'll get the idea.

ATT moves to Dallas and other blogginess

Catching up after spending a week on the road (and yes, the airports were a zoo):

• AT&T. Yes, it's big news that AT&T is bringing its corporate headquarters to downtown Dallas. But let's not lose perspective. The company is only moving 700 of its 6,000 San Antonio-based employees, and it already has offices downtown and almost 13,000 employees in the area. This is not quite the same thing as American moving to the area, lock and stock and runway, in 1979.

• Restaurant coupons. Got another one over the weekend, this time for Chic-fil-a. There are three offers, all for free food with almost no restrictions.

• Sales tax revenue update. And who says Dallas' Only Daily Newspaper can't learn from others? Last week, it posted Dallas' sales tax revenue for the first six months of 2008. Just like we did here six weeks ago, when we discovered that the city projected a 5.9 percent increase. The actual increase is 2.4 percent. And its parent company's stock hit a yet another record low last week, closing at $5.70 after going as low as $5.51.

Technorati Tags: AT&T,Dallas City Council,Dallas Morning News,Chick-fil-a,restaurant coupons,Lake Highlands

No smoking in Dallas bars: It could happen, and soon

A press conference at city hall Monday is the first salvo in a huge campaign to outlaw smoking just about everywhere in Dallas where it isn't already outlawed, including bars and taverns — almost the only places left where a smoker can smoke within the city limits, according to the DMN. Monday's press conference is being hosted by a group of heavy-hitters against smoking, including the American Cancer Society, UT Southwestern and the American Heart Association. Mayor Tom Leppert and councilman Ron Natinsky already are on-record as supporting the full-fledged ban, which will probably be acted on in August when the council returns from its summer break.

Coupons, restaurants and the slowing economy

How does 25 percent off any check of $20 or more at any Black-eyed Pea sound? Or 20 percent off a food order at any of Picasso's three neighborhood locations?

These are not your typical restaurant coupon offers, which tend to run toward a free drink or buy one entree, get a second lower-priced entree free. These are substantial, almost no strings attached deals, and you don't see those very often. The Black-eyed Pea came in the mail; the Picasso's came in my email.

But the Picasso's coupon (which expires Monday) is up front: "Picasso's would like to keep your wallet filled while your gas tank is emptying it."

This ties in to a couple of recent posts here about Advocate-area restaurants weathering $4 gas and the slowing economy. And it's apparently not as bad here as elsewhere in the country. The National Restaurant Association reports that its business index has declined five of the past six months, "and their outlook for sales growth in the months ahead remains uncertain."

Technorati Tags: Picasso's,Black-eyed Pea,restaurants,coupons,economy

Live from New York ... it's George Carlin one last time

Saturday Night Live will give good ol' George Carlin a proper sendoff by airing an episode he hosted — an extra special episode — the first SNL ever. I've never seen it, and after watching the clips here, I'm looking forward to it. When Carlin died last week of apparent heart complications, there were a lot of articles, news packages and blogs remembering him as an edgy, foul-mouthed trouble-making comedic genius with drug problems, an arrest or two, and some hilarious routines that have gone down in history.

With that sort of reputation, it's interesting that my children know him only as the conductor from "Shining Time Station" — the miniature magic man (video) who introduced them to Thomas the Tank, who regularly offered up nuggets of wisdom, and appeared and disappeared in a poof of pixie dust.

I think it was this paradoxical personality that appealed to so many of us.

North Haven Gardens' Salsa Sunday this weekend

This month Advocate brought you a peak into this year's First Men's Garden Club Show at North Haven Gardens. Now, the garden center is getting ready to host another event, only this one will likely appeal more to your inner chef.
Salsa Sunday is a chance for you to whip up your meanest batch of homemade salsa, and see how it stacks up to other varieties in the neighborhood.
Aside from bragging rights, you could win $100 North Haven gift card for first place, $75 for second place, and $50 for third place.
Oh, and creativity is strongly encouraged, so it you want to do something fancy like a mango-jicama mix, go for it. If want to enter, get all the rules and details online.

DART chairman says no more jewelry and clothing funding advances

Good news on the DART front: The agency's new chairman has made it pretty clear that he's not interested in being in "the jewelry and clothing business." (Recall our recent post about the issue — employees started a separate bank account to facilitate employees' purchase of jewelry and clothing from a couple of vendors, then earned a commission from the transaction that was used to fund employee parties. But then the employees overspent the account, the vendors were mad about being stiffed, and the paperwork hit the media fan.)  Randall Chrisman told the DMN the obvious: There was no "nefarious" reason that the program, started 10 years or so ago, came around in the first place, but it's not the type of thing that a public entity needs to be doing. So after DART auditors rectify the mess (wasting resources that DART is supposed to be directing toward its core programs), the program will be over. Let's hope that's one lesson that stays fresh in everyone's minds at DART.

Wine review: Robert Skalli South of France Chardonnay 2006

French wine, regardless of quality, has become ridiculously expensive. (Think weak dollar.) So when I tasted this chardonnay last week at a Skalli wine lunch, I could hardly wait to write about it.

It's well-made. It combines classic French style with a touch of New World green apple fruit. And, at $18 (available at Central Market), it's not ridiculously expensive.

How does wine maker Laurent Sauvage do it? He uses grapes from a less expensive region of France, the Languedoc, and can pick and choose which grapes to use to ensure the best quality. Since he is French, the understands the proper use of oak. Combine all that with vineyard management techniques that focus on maintaining acid levels instead of getting high alcohol, and you have a winner.

How big a hit was this wine? We had eight wines to choose from for lunch, and almost everyone picked the chardonnay. We ate it with chicken breaks in a dill sauce, and it was a smash.

Go Fish is moving to a new location

Go Fish on Belt Line Road in Addison is moving. This fall, the restaurant will open up shop off Alpha Road, near the Galleria. (I've asked a restaurant rep for a specific address, and I'll keep you posted on what I hear).
But the digs aren't the only thing that will be new. There will also be a new executive chef, Tiffany Derry. She'll be introducing a new menu with dishes like soft-shell crab sandwiches, five-spice tuna, and Derry's very own bouillabaisse (a seafood stew of scallops, lobster, shrimp, mussels, clams, saffron and tomato broth).
The new Go Fish should be open by mid-September.

Details about Asian Mint's new location

This month Advocate brought you all the best Asian eateries, including neighborhood favorite (and one of my personal favorites) Asian Mint.
What didn't make it in to the magazine, however, was the scoop on the restaurant's second location.
During my interview, owner Nikky Phinyawatana filled me in on all the details, so now I'm bringing them to you a la blog:
She says this new location (which will simply be called The Mint) will be at the Shops of Highland Park. She also says it will actually be smaller than the already-itty bitty location in our neighborhood.
The menu will also be "more up scale", she says, so expect things like seared ahi tuna. And the digs will also be "a bit more dressed up," including a new color scheme that's not green. A highlight will also be the bar, which Phinyawatana tells me they really splurged on.
The Mint should be open by mid-August.