Balk Talk Oak Cliff

Productivity killer: Conan's St. Patty's in Chinatown

Christina Hughes Babb — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 20:35:50 GMT

Do you miss the world's funniest Irishman, Conan O'Brien on late night? Well, you could see him this spring at SMU, but the tickets are pretty pricey. While you're thinking about it, spend a few moments with Conan on his 2009 St. Patrick's Day stroll through Chinatown.

Restaurant talk: South Dallas Cafe

Rachel Stone — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 15:31:16 GMT

The new South Dallas Cafe at the Oak Cliff Bank Tower serves everything cafeteria style, but this ain't Luby's. For $6.99, you can get an entree, two sides, a fountain drink and corbread or a roll. Not a bad deal, especially considering that they serve the best soul food you'll find in the basement of an office building.

We ordered "chicken", and the cheerful server asked, "You want fried chicken, smothered chicken or baked chicken?" So many choices, but the baked chicken looked awesome, and it was. It was fall-off-the-bone, butter-basted goodness. Other entrees that day included meatloaf and baked spaghetti, plus South Dallas Cafe cooks chidken fried steak, catfish and fried pork chops to order.

We also had turnip greens, macaroni and cheese and hot-water cornbread.

Just because we ordered from the cholesterol menu doesn't mean you have to — a dieter behind us in line ordered a green salad and a side of black-eyed peas. That sounds like a satisfying, low-cal lunch. They also serve breakfast.

Even though this place is in a basement, they've done a good job with the embience with nice lighting and cool jazz. The cafe is open Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m.-3 p.m.

January sales tax hits budget

Jeff Siegel — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 12:10:57 GMT

That's pretty good news, all things considered. The city expected to take in $15.2 million in sales tax revenue in January, and it did. Still, it's only the second time in the past two years that the budget forecasts have been correct. And, for the year, we're off budget projections by 7.5 percent.

Does this mean that sales tax collections have turned the corner? Your guess is as good as mine. Next month's numbers should help answer that.

Here is our handy clip and save sales tax chart for the 2009-10 fiscal year. The basics: The sales tax accounts for abut 22 percent of the city general budget; another 43 percent comes from property tax receipts. The official figures are on the state comptroller Web site. The months listed on that site are, for accounting purposes, about two months ahead, so the March result listed is for January.

Video: Drum roll for respect

Can Turkyilmaz — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:01:46 GMT

It certainly is a guilty pleasure watching grown up man in suits go bunkers and dance around like five year olds. This is exactly what Council members Dwaine Caraway, Jerry Allen and Tennell Atkins did while hosting a drum line face-off in front of City Hall. Bands from Lake Highlands, Skyline, Adamson and Townview put on quite a show to bring attention to the March for Respect, a walk through the West End on March 27 to show support for Texans with developmental disabilities.

Click here for the slide show

Will wet-dry election actually turn Oak Cliff wet?

Jeff Siegel — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 22:37:32 GMT

The proposed wet-dry election may not do what its organizers intend in Oak Cliff, thanks to a section of Texas' Alcoholic Beverage Code. The section doesn't allow a city-wide election to change the wet-dry status of an area if that area had previously voted on the issue and if the area is "wholly contained" within the city.

Sound confusing? That's because it is, and I've spent the past week trying to make sense of Section 251.73 of the Alcoholic Beverage Code. As near as I can tell, and with much help from Lou Bright, the former general counsel of the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, Oak Cliff falls under the conditions outlined in 251.73. It held a previous wet-dry election -- in 1956, in which it voted to go dry -- and the area that voted to go dry was wholly contained within the Dallas city limits.

In other words, even if there is a referendum and Dallas votes to allow retail beer and wine sales in November, Oak Cliff -- and most of Dallas south of the Trinity -- could well remain dry. And, just to be more confusing, the dry parts of Lake Highlands, Preston Hollow, and Far North Dallas are likely not affected by 251.73. More, after the jump.

Slide show: Jefferson Boulevard

Can Turkyilmaz — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:50:25 GMT

City Council member Delia Jasso's Jefferson Boulvard Task Force, is focusing on a revitalization and sustainability project that promises new retail with improvements on storefronts, sidewalks, crosswalks, medians and parking.

Click here to see snaps of Jefferson's current state.

This weekend: poetry, art, 18 photos, local market

Rachel Stone — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:46:40 GMT

Friday night, Cliff Notes Prolonged Media presents Poets on X+ with Jolee Davis at Mighty Fine Arts. The spoken word open mike starts at 8 p.m., and Davis performs after.

Decorazon Gallery opens an exhibit Saturday from Michelle Mikesell and Maria Jose Concha. It's from 6-9:30 p.m., and the show runs through April 13.

18 Photographs is an exhibit at Kettle Art, which is curated by Oak Cliff gals Andrea Roberts and Ange Fitzgerald. The opening reception is Saturday from 7-10 p.m., and the exhibit runs through March 20.

White Rock Local's first market of the season is Saturday from 8 a.m.-1 p.m., and Oak Cliff Coffee will be there. Here is a list of vendors. And here is a locator map.

Pack your Advocate for spring break travels

Keri Mitchell — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:32:49 GMT

If you're heading somewhere exotic or picturesque for spring break, make sure to take an Advocate with you, and snap a pic of you and your family or friends with the magazine at a scenic locale. If you send us the photo, along with a description of who and what is in the picture, you may find yourself in an upcoming edition of the Advocate.

If you don't have an Advocate lying around at home, you may be able to pick up a copy of March's issue at one of our neighborhood rack locations. And if you're not traveling during spring break (like the many of us who no longer get a "spring break"), no worries — just pack your Advocate the next time you go on a trip, and send us whatever you come up with.

Wine review: Villa Maria Riesling Private Bin 2008

Jeff Siegel — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 12:21:17 GMT

New Zealand is best known for it sauvignon blanc, and deservedly so, for they are among the best in the world. What the Kiwis get much less attention for is riesling -- which is too bad, since they make some very, very nice ones.

The Villa Maria riesling (about $14, purchased, widely available) is a lovely wine, with riesling oiliness (which is a very good thing), some lime zest citrus, stone fruit, and a long finish. Also, it's not especially sweet considering how much residual sugar is in the wine. In this, it's a finely crafted effort, in which the winmaker aimed at balance between the various components -- fruit, sweetness, and acid. Would that more winemakers tried to do this. And, of course, it has a screwcap.

The only drawback to this wine is that it's kind of picky with food. In this, it's a good example of why some wine is better with some food -- though everyone is free to drink whatever wine with whatever food they like, of course. If you're not going to drink the Villa Maria on its own, it really does need to be paired with a dish that complements it. Think salads or a lighter style seafood. I drank it with potato pancakes and braised red cabbage, and that didn't do much for the wine.

Preservation Dallas seeks endangered building nominations

Rachel Stone — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 18:13:49 GMT

Preservation Dallas is looking for the most endangered historical buildings in Dallas, and is accepting nominations through April 9 at 4 p.m.

The Tenth Street Historic District is on the existing list, plus Adamson High School and the "vanishing community surrounding Adamson High School," which would include the Oak Cilff Christian Church. That covers stuff that's been int he news lately. We wonder what else is out there.

To submit a nomination, click here or call Sara Junkin at 214.821.3290.

DallasCityHall.com: A missed opportunity

Jeff Siegel — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 12:50:54 GMT

I owe every resident of Dallas an apology. I could have solved the city's budget woes and fixed the long-term problems facing the city, but I choked. I did not display grace under pressure. What didn't I do? I didn't buy Dallas' Internet domain name when it expired yesterday morning -- because then I would have held it hostage until the city met my demands (non-negotiable, of course) to reform how Dallas is run.

More, after the jump:

City wants to hire fewer cops this year

Rick Wamre — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 19:31:25 GMT

As the DMN points out, no matter what other priorities have come and gone these past few years, the city council and city manager have found the money to hire 200 more police officers per year. It was Mayor Tom Leppert's election battle cry, as I recall, and the initiative to hire more officers each year appears to have been effective in helping reduce crime. Now that the city budget is bleeding red ink, though, city manager Mary Suhm told the DMN she's recommending that about 120 officers be hired this year instead of the budgeted-for 191. She cites the budget woes, but she also offers up the excuse that cutting back on the hiring is a good thing because the police department needs more time to integrate the rookies on the force hired the past couple of years during the 200-cops-per-year push.

I don't have a problem with cutting back the hiring for a year; almost everything else is being cut downtown, so it only makes sense to dial back hiring cops for a bit. But to say that we need more time to integrate rookies seems suspect; after all, weren't the number of rookies on the force taken into account when the budget was put together in the first place?

There are going to be plenty of tough budget decisions made downtown in the upcoming six months. Why not just play it straight — say that we simply don't have enough money for this or that — rather than look for excuses to try and save face?

Dallascityhall.com where are you?

Christina Hughes Babb — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 18:53:17 GMT

As you can imagine, us Advocate reporters rely quite a bit on the city's official website, Dallascityhall.com for phone numbers, e-mailing city council members, reading meeting agendas, etc. But when I logged on this morning in hopes of locating a number for someone in the Water Utilities department, I found, well, see for yourself. According to Robert Wilonsky at the Observer, who apparently tried to connect earlier than me, the domain registration expired over the weekend. Doh! The site has reportedly been up and down all morning, so by the time you read this, it might be back. But, as Wilonsky notes, it forces the question, "are budget problems that bad?" — a question we addressed here last week (spoiler alert — the answer is "yes").

Sharing our stuff (instead of buying more)

Keri Mitchell — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 16:21:39 GMT

I was intrigued by the featured opinion piece in Sunday morning's DMN, which asks the question: "Why own anything?" The premise of the piece is the possibility of shifting from a consumption-based society to "product service systems" — as in,opting to lease instead of own a wheelbarrow, ladder, chainsaw, etc. The piece gives examples of companies beginning to embrace this model with items like cars and bicycles, but talks about how it would require a mindset shift on the part of companies to switch from selling us stuff to selling us services.

"The essential insight is that in many purchases, we don't want the thing per se — we want what it can do for us. You don't crave a lawn mower, you want shorter grass; the desire is not for a refrigerator but for cold, unspoiled milk. And according to an emerging line of thinking, there are great benefits in meeting the customer's needs in creative ways that don't necessarily entail ownership."

Of course, many factors could lead to this shift — the recession, the desire to be "green", the fact that we do, indeed, have too much stuff, and as we realize this, our purchases are starting to slow down. (If you don't think we have too much stuff, read this New York Times story on our obsession with storage. It's long, but incredibly interesting.) As a result, companies are trying to think of new ways to make money, and perhaps this method will be an answer.

I also wondered if any neighbors still do it the old-fashioned way — a neighborhood pool of stuff, or just lending out and borrowing to and from each other on a regular basis. The piece opened with a man who had borrowed his neighbor's wheelbarrow the previous weekend, and wanted to use it again, but felt bad asking. He thought about offering a small fee to borrow it, and then thought it would be great to have an entire network of lending and borrowing between neighbors, so created Rentalic. No Dallas residents have posted their "for rent" items on the site yet, but you can rent a wet/dry vac from Richardson and a chipper/mulcher from Carrollton. Other sites along these lines mentioned in the story are: GoGoVerde, Neighborrow, Bright Neighbor, WeCommune and NeighborGoods. It's a great idea, and one that I hope takes off here.

Graham Dodds cooking at 48 Nights Tuesday

Rachel Stone — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 16:05:32 GMT

There's been some speculation on who wrote Tuesday's intriguing menu for 48 Nights, the temporary restaurant at the site of the planned Sylvan/30 development. If you haven't heard, most of the city's best chefs are donating their services to the restaurant on Monday and Tuesday nights. Diners pay $75 for one set menu, typically five courses, which is released about a week ahead. Proceeds go to the Mass Care Task Force.

Here's one guess for Tuesday's menu, from Teresa Gubbins, who is playing "guess the chef" every week now.

Thoughtful, but she guessed wrong. We hear it's Bolsa chef Graham Dodds, who lived for a while in Thailand. So far, many 48 Nights dates have sold out, but there are still tickets available for Dodds's Thai cuisine. It could be there's some apprehension regarding his menu's second course: "deep fried grasshoppers and scorpions, mae ploy".

I'm game. All I need now is seventy-five bucks and a date.

Advocate radio: parade talk

Christina Hughes Babb — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 15:20:23 GMT

Everybody loves a parade ... right? Or maybe, they are more trouble than they are worth. With the city's biggest parade event fast approaching, the Advocate editors sit down to discuss this oh-so vital topic. LISTEN HERE .

Another stake in the Trinity toll road

Jeff Siegel — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 14:54:44 GMT

More bad news for the Trinity toll road, and this time it comes from two of the highway's biggest supporters: Dallas' Only Daily Newspaper and the mayor.

This story details the woes (which, of course, have been detailed many times elsewhere and long before this, and most recently here): There's no money. And it's not safe. And there's no money. Shock and surprise -- Mayor Park Cities finally acknowledges there's a good chance the toll road will never be built.

Now, perhaps, given the city's budget problems, we can stop spending $1.25 million for the Trinity River Corridor project.

Restaurant talk: Cuquita's

Rachel Stone — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 18:50:29 GMT

The old Cuquita's on Henderson was one of my favorite Tex-Mex joints of all time.

But there's a Cuquita's in Oak Cliff, on Kiest just west of Hampton — hooray!

We went for the usual — pollo en mole. I read somewhere recenlty that mole is a "food cliche". Whatever, I don't care. I wil never stop thinking it is the best thing under the sun. And Cuqiuta's mole is great — flavorful layers of chocolate and spice. Not so hot it makes my eyes water, but just hot enough that I need two glasses of iced tea. It comes with rice, which is fluffy and like someone's grandma made it — it tastes homemade.

Cuquita's also serves freshly squeezed lemonade and homemade horchata. Plus they have beer. And they sell breakfast all day.

They're closed on Tuesdays, but otherwise they're open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., and on the weekends, they open at 8 a.m.

Kesster Theater open house tonight

Rachel Stone — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 18:32:39 GMT

It's been undergoing renovations for months; here's an opportunity to check it out for yourself. The Kessler Theater is having an open house tonight at 8 p.m.

The theater also has updated its website.

Advocate video: Dr. Seuss Reading Day at Rosemont Elementary

Rachel Stone — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 18:25:15 GMT

Rosemont Elementary celebrated Dr. Seuss Reading Day this morning with paper "Cat in the Hat" hats and guest readers. It was my honor to read to two first grade classes, and it was the most fun I've had this year.

We read "Fox in Socks". I asked the students if they'd read it before, and one girl said, "No. I haven't even seen the movie." Priceless.