Dallas Voice

Dossier • January 2, 2009

Posted on 31 Dec 2008 at 6:09pm

Dallas blogger branches out

BLOG IT, BOY: Nanthavongsa is gearing up for 2009. DANIEL KUSNER/Dallas Voice

Due to ‘legal issues’ with boyfriend, TreyCruz.com now PopWired.com
In June of 2007, University of Texas at Arlington student Tracy Nanthavongsa launched TreyCruz.com. It’s a blog that could easily assume Perez Hilton’s audience if, like, a defamation lawsuit completely shut down Perez’ site.

This week, Nanthavongsa kept tabs on: "Who wears a Speedo better: Giorgio Armani or David Beckham?" and Brody Jenner loving that people describe "Bromance" as homoerotic. According to site tracker Alexa.com, TreyCruz averages about 238,000 page views in a week.

Soon, you’ll have to bookmark a new URL address. Nanthavongsa says he’s launching PopWired.com — the new name of his blog.

The name "Trey Cruz" was a mash-up: "Trey" was a nickname bestowed by an uncle, and "Cruz" is the last name of a boyfriend, with whom Nanthavongsa is having "legal issues."

Nanthavongsa says PopWired "covers mainly pop culture and gossip revolving around the men. … Almost like afterelton.com."

The launch date of PopWired is expected sometime in 2009.

We’ll miss you, Johnny Cakes
Police say the actor who portrayed the gay lover of a closeted mobster on "The Sopranos" has died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in New York.

On Dec. 18, John Costelloe was found dead in an apparent suicide at his Brooklyn home. Police were called to his residence after family members were unable to reach him. The 47-year-old former New York City firefighter gained fame in 2006 when he was cast as short-order cook Jim "Johnny Cakes" Witowski opposite Joseph Gannascoli, who played gay mobster Vito Spatafore on the hit HBO show.

At the time of his death, Costelloe was performing as a hustler in a theater production of "Gang of Seven."

Blind item
Which diminutive comedy dynamo — who "sleeps with his Emmy (the only woman he’s ever slept with)" — is in the running to become next token queer on "Dancing with the Stars"?

The new season returns March 9 on ABC.

Lisa Kudrow takes a ride with ‘Dirty Girl’
What happens when the school slut grabs a closeted classmate and goes on a road trip of self-discovery? We’ll all find out when "Dirty Girl" hits theaters, boasting a notable pedigree. Producers include Richard Kelly ("Donnie Darko") and legendary lesbian indie queen Christine Vachon ("I’m Not There"), and co-stars include Lisa Kudrow and Camryn Manheim.

Look for "Dirty Girl" to tramp it up later this year.

Shankman sails with ‘Sinbad’
From big screen confections like "Hairspray" to the subversive online delight "Prop. 8: The Musical," gay director Adam Shankman thrives on spectacle. So it’s a no-brainer that the box-office-friendly filmmaker would want to resurrect a vintage crowd-pleasing hero like high-seas adventurer Sinbad.

Shankman’s been hired to direct "The 8th Voyage of Sinbad," and he’s eager for the project to leave port and start sailing soon. Getting a leading man confirmed would help — though both Keanu Reeves and Vin Diesel have been attached to the project, neither are currently signed. Of course, if this long-in-development project creeps along at the pace it’s been moving, the kid from "Two and a Half Men" will soon be old enough to play Sinbad. So like everything in Hollywood, it’ll happen when the stars align.

This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition January 2, 2009.

— admin

5 best gay concerts of 2008

Posted on 31 Dec 2008 at 5:21pm

The year in live touring acts

Even though Madonna didn’t stop in Big D, we got an ear full of music this year.
George Michael finally performed for his neighbors. And that gay Woodstock, True Colors, came back during Pride month. Here are a handful of live touring gigs that made an indelible impression on queer listeners.
— Daniel A. Kusner

1. George Michael
American Airlines Center, July 13.
America doesn’t love George Michael enough, and we’ve suffered dearly for it.
After the phenomenal success of "Faith," his career in the U.S. never quite reached the same heights. And it’s no surprise his most loyal fans are in Europe. This year was the first time many North Texans had seen him in the flesh in Dallas — a city he and partner Kenny Goss sometimes call home.
At times, the music was so infectiously disco-happy — like the rump-shaker "I’m Your Man" — Michael would often run out of breath while dashing across the stage and thrusting his pelvis. But when he sat on a stool to belt out "Father Figure," the audience just melted with every flutter of his pipes.

2. TRUE COLORS TOUR
Superpages.com Center, June 22.
Oh, to be young enough to consider Cyndi Lauper, the B-52′s, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts and Andy Bell of Erasure "retro acts."

Most of the songs played were older than many of the fans listening to them. And those musicians helped define rock: Bell’s pulsing synth-pop; Jett’s high-energy, female-empowered garage band sensibility; the New Wave rhythms of the B-52′s; and Lauper’s infectious, inimitable pop sound. Lauper made three appearances during the show (not counting her two encores), sometimes stepping into the audience to engage with the crowd.

Perhaps the most refreshing aspect of the show was the incredible diversity of those assembled. Straight couples who appeared barely out of their teens sat alongside bears and twinks who cuddled and walked arm-in-arm with nary a disapproving glance.

Acceptance, tolerance and rock n’ roll. Can’t beat that.

3. K.D. LANG
Bass Hall, Nov. 5.
Whether dancing hammy pirouettes or tenderly crooning the highest notes of her gorgeous register, K.D. Lang effortlessly proved she’s still at the top her game.
Barefoot and wearing pinstripe slacks with an ascot and cuff-linked sleeves, the Canadian’s "Watershed" tour stopped in Fort Worth the day after Obama was elected.

"It’s feeling good today in America," the Canadian told North Texas.
Her best song was "Smoke Rings," her 1997 ode to puffing that had Lang doing the hula and a soft-shoe routine.

"That song makes me wonder," she said. "What’s Laura going to do after she leaves the White House? Will she go back to selling pot? If I lived with George, I’d smoke pot. Come to think of it, I’d smoke pot if I were married to Laura, too."
Even when she’s skewing conservatives, Lang’s boyishly country-flavored charm is like a hybrid of Bobby Hill and Ferris Bueller.

4. OF MONTREAL
House of Blues, Nov. 14.
Maybe Of Montreal’s flamboyant frontman, Kevin Barnes is post-gay. Check theses lyrics "Tim, wish you were born a girl / So I could’ve been your boyfriend."
When his bandmates slathered Barnes’ naked torso with red grease, the singer came off as a hypersexual S&M-loving tease. At one point in this rock-opera extravaganza, Barnes even draped a noose around his neck and hung himself from a two-story set. The show was a schizophrenic explosion of confetti and endless costume changes. And for an encore, Barnes and crew (they’re from Athens, Ga.) jammed to a clap-along version of John Lennon’s "Instant Karma."

5. MICHELLE SHOCKED
House of Blues, April 24.
Michelle Shocked’s audience is indeed ever shrinking — which is bad for her, but awesome for people who still know she’s an incredible entertainer. Her 300-seat venue at the House of Blues’ Cambridge Room barely had 100 people inside. And most of them were Shocked’s relatives.

With the brilliant multi-instrumentalist Rich Armstrong accompanying Shocked, she delivered a set so emotionally raw, it would have scared Janice Joplin. Before this gig, the Big D native told Dallas Voice that she’s no longer a lesbian. On top of that, Shocked came out as born-again Christian who believes same-sex love is immoral.

Between her pastoral Lone Star State shoutouts — "Memories of East Texas" and "Anchorage" — Shocked got on her rebel soapbox, issuing left-leaning opinions about guns, war, Bush’ recession. And then she welcomed her 85-year-old grandma onstage to dance with her Asian dancing partner.

FOUR fantastic shows that weren’t necessarily QUEER

LADYTRON
Palladium Ballroom, June 5
Those "dames of dark paranoia" that you can dance to were stunning.
Ladytron’s music sounded machine-like perfect: like Human League in a space-age convent. But the lights were the star of the show. Whenever vocalists Mira Aroyo and Helena Marnie took the mike, the lights would only brighten when they sang. As soon as the lyric was done, they’d fade.

A dramatic technical performance, the show was a study in chiaroscuro.

NIKKA COSTA
The Loft, Palladium Ballroom, Oct. 11.
To hell with Amy Winehouse. Nikka burned the house down with a super-tight seven-piece band, including her horn section. The girl was uncontainable — like a hybrid of Janis Joplin and James Brown. The gig was a preview for her new disc, "Pebble to a Pearl" (Stax). She was a master performer in the tradition of old-skool blues and soul. She interacted with the crowd with plenty of call-and-response anthems. NIkka’s been in the "Where Is She Now" file since 2001. But make no mistake, she’s back — and more fierce than ever.

GHOSTLAND OBSERVATORY
Oct. 10, House of Blues.
If you haven’t caught Austin duo Ghostland Observatory, better get on it. If there’s a Texan act that’s on the brink of international superstardom, it’s them.
Their music is a booty-swaying fusion of electroclash, soul and deafening glam rock. And while they only have three albums under their belt, 26-year-old singer Aaron Behrens is already an androgynous rock god — he’s undeniably sexy and possesses an explosive stage presence that’s equal parts Prince, Mick Jagger and Little Richard. But Behrens is most frequently compared to Freddie Mercury — his biggest influence.

YELLE
House of Blues Dallas, Oct. 7.
Electro rapper Yelle (24-year-old Julie Buet) is the newest do-it-yourself Internet sensation. In 2005, the French chanteuse started posting floor-humping anthems on her MySpace page. This week, they played her to death on MTV’s "The City."
While not understanding a word of her sexy rhymes, Yelle’s concert was one hit after another — more infectious ditties than The Beastie Boys’ "Licensed to Ill."

This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition January 2, 2009.

— admin

What happened?

Posted on 31 Dec 2008 at 4:50pm

12 months flew by. Here’s a reminder of gay Dallas in ’08

This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition January 2, 2009.

— admin

A-plus B&Bs

Posted on 31 Dec 2008 at 1:49pm

By Andrew Collins Contributing Travel Writer

Luxury inns along the East Coast provide glamorous getaways

COLONIAL QUAINT: Although opened within the last decade, Connecticut’s Inn at Stonington embodies the essence of an 18th century fishing village. The rooms offer 21st century amenities like deep two-occupant whirlpool tubs.

The Northeast has become increasingly popular with gays seeking B&Bs. We recently discussed great bargains, but what if you’re not pinching pennies? Here’s a sampling of romantic inns in the Northeast that offer cushy accommodations — at appropriately upscale prices.

Hob Knob Inn —
Martha’s Vineyard, Mass.
A dignified, Gothic Revival inn on quaint Edgartown’s main drag, the Hob Knob contains 17 spacious and airy rooms. It’s large enough to feel like a small hotel but also homey enough to feel personal and low-keyed.

Fresh flowers brighten the accommodations, which are bathed in pastels and feature down comforters and pillows and a mix of well-chosen antiques. Most units overlook the lush gardens surrounding the property. A complimentary breakfast is cooked to order each morning.

The Hob Knob stays open year-round —a rarity on Martha’s Vineyard — and the off-season rates can be a great bargain. Martha’s Vineyard has developed a notable LGBT following in recent years, and although nightlife is tame and without specifically gay options, the island is highly welcoming.

Four Columns Inn —
Newfane, Vt.
In southeastern Vermont, less than three hours from Boston and four from New York City, the Four Columns Inn excels both as a top-notch accommodation and a terrific restaurant. There are 15 rooms, all with gas fireplaces and traditional Colonial or Shaker furnishings. Many of the marble bathrooms have in-room Jacuzzis, and some rooms have private decks overlooking the tranquil and stunning grounds, which are dotted with ponds and traversed by a mountain stream.

Newfane is a quiet village, and that’s a big part of the Four Columns’ appeal. If you do stay here, try to plan at least one evening in the acclaimed restaurant, where you might sample such creative fare as seared medium-rare breast of duck with a rhubarb-red currant-port sauce.

Inn at Stonington —
Stonington, Conn.
Little Stonington, a Colonial fishing village facing the frothy Atlantic Ocean (the rest of Connecticut’s coast, to the west, fringes milder Long Island Sound), is refreshingly free of crass commercialism or chain shops, and until the tony Inn at Stonington opened in the early 2000s, there were no accommodations here, either. But this 18-room property comprising two neighboring buildings has been a great success.

Within steps of four excellent restaurants, a charming beach and a small history museum installed inside an old lighthouse, the property looks superficially like one of Stonington’s well-preserved 18th century fishing captain’s mansions. Inside, however, rooms reflect a more contemporary style, from the deep two-person whirlpool tubs to gas fireplaces and central air-conditioning. Furnishings differ in each unit, but all have original artwork, beautiful custom-made wooden beds, and plush linens.

Inn at Sunrise Point —
Camden, Maine
Occupying one of coastal Maine’s classic shingle-style mansions — what wealthy summer folks referred to as "cottages" a century ago — this vintage inn anchors a 4-acre oceanfront estate on Penobscot Bay and contains three gorgeously furnished rooms. Each has a fireplace, DVD player and oversized tub and shower. Four posh cottages sit alongside the water — these are more secluded and romantic, with decks and two-person whirlpool tubs.

Accommodations are named for famed Maine residents, including painter Winslow Homer and lesbian poet May Sarton. A lavish breakfast is presented each morning in a sunny conservatory. A short drive away, the village of Camden, which buzzes with restaurants and shops, overlooks a yacht-filled harbor.

This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edtion January 2, 2009.

— admin

From perfect match to cage match

Posted on 31 Dec 2008 at 1:48pm

By Steve Warren Contributing Writer

‘Revolutionary Road’ will make you think twice about wanting to get married

B
Director: Sam Mendes
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Kathy Bates and Dylan Baker
Opens: Friday, Jan. 2 at the Angelika Dallas.
1 hr. 59 min. R

MISS BUSYBODY: SMU alum Kathy Bates plays nosy neighbor Mrs. Givings.

If enough young people see "Revolutionary Road" the marriage rate should drop significantly. It could even inspire constitutional amendments to defend the sanctity of marriage by forbidding heterosexuals to engage in it.

If you’re already married, this movie will make you see that the problems in your relationship aren’t as bad as you think.

"Revolutionary Road" is the story of one marriage that goes south, while a couple of others in the background don’t look ideal either. It begins in the late 1940s, when Frank Wheeler (Leonardo DiCaprio) and April (Kate Winslet) meet and fall in love.

Cut to 1955.

Can this marriage be saved? Should it? Could they ever have loved each other?

April gave up her dreams of becoming an actress to take care of their modest suburban home on Revolutionary Road and raise their two kids. Frank is commuting to a job he hates.

It’s a life of "hopeless emptiness," occasionally relieved for Frank by getting out of his cubicle for an afternoon tryst with a girl from the secretarial pool (Zoe Kazan). April tries acting in a community theater production at the local high school but it doesn’t go well.

A woman of unpredictable moods, April comes up with a plan for "our one chance." They’ll chuck it all and move to Paris. She can get a good job as a secretary, and Frank will have time to find out what he wants to be.

The idea draws a variety of reactions — mostly jealousy. There are Frank’s co-workers, notably the flamboyant Jack (Dylan Baker); next-door neighbors Milly (Kathryn Hahn) and Shep Campbell (David Harbour) (Shep has a yen for April); and their real estate agent, Helen Givings (Kathy Bates), her husband Howard (Richard Easton) and their son John (Michael Shannon), who describes himself as "a certified lunatic." Being insane (he’s not kidding), John is the only one not afraid to speak the truth.

Two potential roadblocks arise during the summer before the Wheelers are scheduled to leave. Frank accidentally impresses a higher-up in the company (Jay O. Sanders), who offers him a much better job. April becomes pregnant again, although she’s willing — nay, eager — to abort the child.

Their lives, which had been going in separate directions, are suddenly on a collision course. In her bad moods, April has gone from indifference toward Frank to outright loathing.

While neither partner is totally blameless, I can’t imagine anyone finding April the more sympathetic spouse, but I can imagine women feeling the same way toward Frank. At least he gets to dip into the secretarial pool for relief while April’s stuck in the house.

The source novel by Richard Yates was published in 1961, when it was timely rather than nostalgic. The period setting (somewhat overdone, as in shots of hordes of hat-wearing commuters) allows director Sam Mendes to combine the scathing take on The Suburbia of his "American Beauty" with the sexism, smoking and other attributes of the era that make "Mad Men" so popular.

DiCaprio and Winslet give impeccable, older and wiser performances. Shannon is the subject of much award speculation but he’s a bit over-the-top for my taste. On the other hand, I enjoyed Bates in a relatively subdued mode.

GAY FANTASIA

PUCKISH CHARM: A queer love potion gets splashed across town.

On Thursday, Out Takes Dallas screens "Were the World Mine," a queer musical re-imagining of "A Midsummer’s Night Dream."

Like a mash-up of "High School Musical" and "Dead Poets Society," the school’s gay dude gets tapped by his drama teacher to play Shakespeare’s fairy, Puck. After discovering the play’s love potion, our queer pupil turns his closed-minded town gay and casts a love spell on the town’s hunk-a-licious jock. After he reluctantly restores the town’s free will, he’s amazed with the surprising results.

Included in the cast is Robin Williams’ 18-year-old daughter Zelda.
Screens Jan. 8 at 7:30 p.m. at the Magnolia Theatre in the West Village.

— admin

Artographer

Posted on 31 Dec 2008 at 1:45pm

By Daniel A. Kusner Life+Style Editor

Dallas design whiz J. Blake Harris reverts to primary vision of art with new collection of painted photos

FISHY FOTO: Harris holds, "1962," his new poster-sized goldfish painting.

Some conceptual art is so abstract that it’s hard to recognize any connection to the real object.

J. Blake Harris recently heard about a Deep Ellum gallery-goer who confused a pile of construction materials for a neo-Dadaist sculpture.

"This year, I decided to step back and create some generically iconic stuff — like flowers and fish. Things that are easy to grasp," he says, explaining his new collection of painted photos that are going on display at Gachet Coffee in Victory Plaza.

About 20 years ago, Harris relocated to Dallas from Flagstaff, Ariz. He got his feet wet designing business cards and flyers at Abacus, a now-defunct lesbian-run print shop on Congress Avenue. Abacus was next door to Oak Lawn Records, where Harris slaked his thirst for DJ culture.

Sometimes the album artwork was more interesting than the music — like the New Order record sleeves by U.K. designer Peter Saville.

"There were never any words on the front — just, like, an amazing photograph of a leaf or oxidizing paint. Back then not having the name of the band or the name of album was unheard of," Harris says.

After designing for the company that owns Albertson’s grocery chain, Harris eventually worked at various Dallas agencies as an art director. Now he’s a creative director at IMC2 where he works on many pharmacology campaigns for GlaxoSmithKline, including Apositivelife.com, a site for people living with HIV that has a text-message function to remind people to take their meds.

As a designer, Harris says he’s nitpicker.

"Inattention to detail sets me off — a pixel being off, how photos are compressed or using Internet plug-ins that are only designed for XP Explorer, and the designer hasn’t made sure it works elsewhere, like a Macintosh. That just ends up creating a sucky experience.

Last year, Harris created digital images that were reproduced onto 16-foot mesh-like screens, which Harris then painted over. This year, he’s considerably scaled things down: two-foot by three-foot images.

"These are more intimate than those giant paintings, which were so overwhelmingly big. You had to step back to take it in," he says.

Harris hopes his new works are almost crystal clear: macro-lens close-ups of a goldfish, a seahorse, a pine cone, cactus leaves and gerberas that are then painted over in almost highlight-marker hues of blues and pinks .

"I think people feel frustrated when they don’t immediately know what a work means and they try to find some deep meaning in it. If that’s the case, maybe it’s too complicated," Harris says. "What if we just went back to the bare minimum of what ‘art’ is and work outward from there?"

ART SHOW
Harris will have 11 new painted photographs on display at Gachet Coffee in Victory Plaza through Jan. 31.
Opening reception: Jan. 9th at 8 p.m.
Gachet Coffee, 2336 Victory Park Ln.
214-953-1234.
Motorcycl3.com

This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition January 2, 2009.

— admin

10 tables

Posted on 31 Dec 2008 at 1:44pm

By Arnold Wayne Jones Staff Writer

In a rough year for restaurants, these helped define Dallas’ food scene

NOT YOUR MOM’S COOKIN’:Screen Door’s combination of down-home with uptown in its menu of deconstructed Southern comfort food — including the lobster pot pie, above — made it 2008′s top table.

With the holidays now behind us, many of us are thinking about how much we ate — or overate — between that fateful Thursday in late November when turkey was consumed with reckless abandon until the last drop of bubbly was consumed to the echoes of "Auld Lang Syne."

But my thoughts of late have turned to other meals: those at new restaurants that, between late 2007 and until the last few weeks, got my taste buds jumping and kept me enthusiastic for eating out for yet another year.

2008 was tough on the restaurant industry, with some memorable meals had at new eateries that didn’t stick around until December. Scene, Blaine Staniford’s funky kitchen in the Mosaic downtown, was one of its victims, as was BLT Steak. But many other wonderful freshman restaurants have survived.

This is not a traditional top 10 list — how do you fairly compare burgers with boeuf bourguignonne? — but a snapshot of the top tables of the year: meals and experiences and concepts that stood out and helped define the year in Dallas cuisine.

1. Screen Door. Executive chef Fitzgerald Dodd took Scott Jones’ concept for high-end comfort food and made an astonishingly deft blend of down-home and uptown: re-imagined moon pies, elegantly styled fried green tomatoes, a deconstructed lobster pot pie. One of the coziest and classy restaurants around, it introduced One Arts Plaza as a foodie destination. Five restaurants have now filled in the complex, but it was the first — and the best. 1722 Routh St. at One Arts Plaza, 214-720-9111.

2. Soley! Fuse restaurant blends Texas and Asian cuisine; Nobu pioneered sushi and spice. But French meets Tex-Mex? Only at Soley! A disarmingly wonderful idea, executed with a guileless inevitability that makes you wonder why nobody thought of it before. (Look for a review soon in an upcoming edition of Dallas Voice.) 2405 N. Henderson St., 214-485-1302.

3. Charlie Palmer at the Joule. OK, so I didn’t love the lobster corndogs, and some desserts were hit-or-miss. But the elegant, ingenious and surprisingly well-priced downtown meta-steakhouse is plainly one of the best meal destinations in all of Dallas: Stunning dÃ©cor, masterful concept, spotless service and damn good food. 1530 Main St., 214-621-4600.

VOILA!: Scott Romano, the on-site executive shef at Charlie Palmer at the Joule, presides over one of the most beautifully designed restaurants Dallas has seen — and the food’s good, too. ARNOLD WAYNE JONES/Dallas Voice

4. Dali Wine Bar. Although divided only by a courtyard, Dali and Screen Door in One Arts Plaza couldn’t be less similar in style, if not in appeal. Smallish, edgy and hip, Dali puts "bar" ahead of "grill" in its priorities, with a sizeable wine list. But chef Joel Harloff knows a thing or seven about creating dishes that compliment anything from a white Bordeaux to an Australian shiraz. Dali embodies that rarest of atmospheres: sophisticated coziness. 1722 Routh St. at One Arts Plaza, 469-385-9360.

5. and 6. Pescabar and Cibus. Alberto Lombardi is the mastermind behind value-driven creativity. He introduced crudo (sort of Italian sashimi) to Dallas through Pescarbar, his West Village restaurant that combines the flair of a Venetian masquerade with the homey flavors of his boot-shaped homeland. Then he developed the best sorbetti and gelati creamery this side of Roma, decorating it with mod-retro panache and adding a formal dining area. The result: A one-two punch that keeps us guessing even as it delivers familiar, lithe dishes. Pescabar, 3699 McKinney Ave. in the West Village, 214-522-3888; Cibus, 8687 North Central Expressway at NorthPark Center, 214-692-0001.

7. Blue Canyon. You have to haul butt out to Rockwall to enjoy Blue Canyon, but enjoy it you will. Unfortunately housed in a crowded mall, chef Brandt Evans’s inventively simple yet tantalizing dishes show fine dining deserves a place even in bedroom communities. 2101 Summer Lee Drive, Rockwall, 214-771-3512.

8. Bengal Coast. Mark Brezinski’s experiment in toning down the potentially overwhelming flavors of Southeast Asia (curries, peppers, etc.) with moderation could have become a bland alternative to "authentic" Indian and Thai cuisine. Is it Americanized? You betcha. But where it begs off being daring it more than makes up for in skillfully fluid execution, with a terrific price point (nothing over $20), can’t-miss items (the little gem "boats" — lettuce wraps to die for) and a soothing but exotic dÃ©cor at the corner of Oak Lawn and Cedar Springs.

9. Cowboy Chow. The four-star chefs responsible for Twisted Root Burger Co. have come up with yet another reason to return to Deep Ellum. Sturdy classics of the chuck wagon variety (brisket tacos with dirty rice, sloppy joe, chili — think Tex without the Mex) meet a casual, surprisingly droll sense of humor in design and concept (well, surprisingly only if you don’t know proprietor Jason Beso). If food can be both ironic and tasty, Cowboy Chow manages to be just that. 2801 Commerce St., 214-742-2469.

10. Sushi Axiom. The simplicity of Japanese cooking can be misleading, but this fusion version, with many sly tweaks to standard items, proved unexpectedly delightful. (Look for a review soon in an upcoming edition of Dallas Voice.) 2323 N. Henderson St., 214-828-2288.

This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition January 2, 2009.

— admin

Real gem. Rare treat. Enjoy.

Posted on 31 Dec 2008 at 12:23pm

— Dallasvoice

DTC buys a lot of plum pudding with NTFB fundraiser

Posted on 31 Dec 2008 at 10:20am

There weren’t a lot of Scrooges during the run of the Dallas Theater Center’s production of “A Christmas Carol” â€” other than the one onstage. The DTC collected money for the North Texas Food Bank during every performance, and when all was said and done, patrons donated in excess of $39,000. (The check above, held by the DTC gay artistic director, Kevin Moriarty and the food bank’s COO, Paul Wunderlich, reflected the amount raised before the final performance.) Â All of which means, many hungry North Texas need not rely on the workhouses, nor feel they must die to decrease the surplus population, as Ebenezer so cruelly suggests. It’s a good way to start off 2009.

— Arnold Wayne Jones