Advocate Magazine

Sneak peek: White Rock Dog Park renovation

Joanna Raines — Wed, 16 May 2012 19:17:34 +0000

Tonight at 6 p.m., Dallas Park Board member Gerry Worrall hosts a meeting at Winfrey Point to address the recent parking vs. park dust-up, of course, as well as other improvements to White Rock Lake. One of the focal points of the meeting is the White Rock Dog Park, and thanks to dog park events chairman Stephen Foster, we have a sneak peek at what the city has planned.

Mess and mud will be reduced in the areas marked with “improved surface” (click on the rendering for a larger view), which will soon be artificial turf. A dog bath outside the gates and new restroom facilities also will improve the park’s sanitation, Foster says.

What is now a waterfront with jagged rocks will be replaced with safe, sloping stairs — a “dog launch,” on the first rendering, which is depicted in detail in the second.

To address the problem of parking, the gravel lot will be transformed to concrete.

The total cost of the project is $1.2 million. City of Dallas bond funds are providing $800,000, and the rest comes from donations.

The purpose of the renovation is to make the park cleaner, safer and more accessible, Foster says.

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Post tags: dog parks, renovations, White Rock Lake, White Rock Lake projects

Wal-Mart grocery store construction underway on Greenville

Rick Wamre — Wed, 16 May 2012 18:52:26 +0000

The former Blockbuster space at Belmont and Greenville has been hollowed out as part of its transformation, along with the former Whole Foods building, into a Walmart Neighborhood Market.

A friend claims we spend too much time on the blog talking about the soon-to-be-new Trader Joe’s on Greenville, so instead of talking about Trader Joe’s today, I thought I’d devote a few minutes to talking about the new Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market taking the place of the former Blockbuster and Whole Foods on Lower Greenville at Belmont.

I drove by the site this afternoon, and construction is underway big-time. Both the former Blockbuster and Whole Foods buildings are primarily shells, with the insides and much of the floors having been torn out. The parking lot also appears to have been torn out in many places, but the overall building footprint doesn’t appear likely to change much. Based on what I’m seeing, construction-wise, it looks like the new store will open sometime this fall.

So there you have it — no discussion of Trader Joe’s today. Although, if you are looking for a Trader Joe’s update, there’s no construction going on yet just down Greenville, where the Trader Joe’s will be located.

Marathon registration kicks off with a Miller 64 and some miles

Christina Hughes Babb — Wed, 16 May 2012 15:09:37 +0000

Registration for the December MetroPCS White Rock Marathon opens June 1. The price is lower if you register early, before July 31, by the way. To celebrate the onset of marathon training season, the WRM folks will host a 6.4 kilometer race at the Bath House at White Rock Lake Thursday, May 31 at 7 p.m. Why 6.4 km. you may ask? It’s a beer-sponsor thing. The DWRM Kickoff 6.4 is presented by Miller 64.

The race is limited to 500 participants.

Runners and walkers will receive a technical training shirt and entrance into a post-race party, featuring Miller 64 aplenty, I assume. Wear your favorite Dallas White Rock Marathon race shirt to be entered in a drawing for a free 2012 full or half marathon entry.

You can register for $20 race day at 6 p.m. or online for $15 online.

The new White Rock Marathon course is set to be publicly viewable by June 1.

Wine review: Meridian Sauvignon Blanc 2010

Jeff Siegel — Wed, 16 May 2012 11:00:00 +0000

Meridian’s wines make are enough to make a wine writer crazy. Sometimes, they’re really, really well done, and do things like make the $10 Hall of Fame. Other times, they taste like the grocery store wines that they are, and their $10 Hall of Fame worthinness seems very hard to believe.

Hence my trepidation with this review. The sauvignon blanc ($6, purchased, widely available) is an exceedingly well-made wine, and sets a high standard not only for Meridian, but for all grocery store wine at this price. It has lots of tropical fruit (pineapple and mango) in a very forward style, which gives the impression of sweetness. But since it’s sauvignon blanc, there is plenty of citrus and California-style grassiness to balance the fruit. And, hard as it may be to believe, I think there is minerality at the back — about as common in a $6 wine as me not being able to come up with a simile here.

Drink this chilled on its own, or with almost any kind of warm weather white wine dish. Highly recommended, and a candidate for the 2013 Hall of Fame. Please, Meridian, don’t let me down.

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Post tags: $10 wine, California wine, cheap wine, inexpensive wine, Meridian, sauvignon blanc, white wine, wine of the week, wine reviews

Advocate giveaway: Taste Addison passes

Meghan Riney — Tue, 15 May 2012 19:30:36 +0000

Taste Addison, the three-day food festival, kicks off this Friday, from 6 p.m. to midnight. This year’s event will feature food from more than 60 Addison restaurants, live music, celebrity chef demonstrations and wine tasting seminars, carnival rides, midway games and more.

The 5th person and the 10th person to email “I Love the Advocate” to mriney@advocatemag.com get four passes to the festival and a gift card to either On the Border or Nate’s Seafood and Steak House.

On your mark, get set, GO! …

Police describe suspects in Katy Trail crimes

Christina Hughes Babb — Tue, 15 May 2012 02:16:36 +0000

The Dallas Police Department today released new details about a string of violent assaults and/or robberies along the Katy Trail as well as other parts of the city. As many as 11 recent incidents — including the mugging of both a jogger and of a woman leaving the Katy Trail Ice House — might be related, according to a press release. The following is a description of the suspects:

First suspect is a black male, approximately 20 to 30 years old. He is 5’8 to 6’2 tall and weighs 150 to160 pounds. He has been armed with a blue steel semi-automatic handgun.

The second suspect is a black male, approximately 20 to 22 years old. He is 5’8 -5’10 tall and weighs approximately 160 pounds. He may have a gold tooth and moles near his eyes. He has been armed with a silver colored semi-automatic handgun.

The suspect vehicle is gray/silver 4-door sedan. The vehicle may be a Chrysler or Chevy Impala.

The DPD has initiated extra patrol along the Katy Trail, which will include additional bicycle officers. Also, members of the Violent Crime Task Force will be deployed in the area.

Police have decided to withhold some details as the investigation progresses.

“This is an active investigation and the detectives have leads,” a report states. “The police department must continually balance the need to inform the public against releasing information that could jeopardize the investigation and potential suspect identification. Future apprehension could be made more difficult and dangerous if suspects are alerted to the details of the police investigation.”

Whether you are on the Katy Trail, White Rock Trail, walking to your neighborhood grocery store or home from a night out at the bar, stay alert, police warn.

Anyone out walking should be always practice the following common safety tips, police say:

Always be aware of your surroundings and people who may be approaching you.

Listen to your instincts. If you feel something is not right, make your way to a safe location and call the police.

Travel with friends.

Avoid becoming so distracted that you are unaware of what is happening around you (in other words, lose the headphones).

Don’t display valuables in a manner that make you an appealing target for a would-be criminal (hide your iPhone).

Finally, people traveling along the Katy Trail should always be aware of the call boxes locations along the trail.

Bicycle Cafe is ‘for sale’

Christina Hughes Babb — Mon, 14 May 2012 19:49:00 +0000

The Bicycle Cafe, which only opened a few months ago and which we just recently featured in the Advocate‘s dining section, is up for sale.

They served up good, healthy sandwiches, salads, breakfasts, juices, beers and so forth but now they are selling, based on the restaurant’s Facebook status:

“DALLAS BICYCLE CAFE for sale, if interested email to Armando@dallasbicyclecafe.com or aguer75@aol.com”

To a concerned commenter they responded that the cafe would remain open for now.

I have messaged the owner and will keep you posted.

Restaurant talk: Fat Daddy’s burgers

Rachel Stone — Mon, 14 May 2012 12:54:47 +0000

Goodfriend Beer Garden and Burger House doesn’t start serving food until 5 p.m. Before then, you can order something at Good-2-Go next door and bring them back to Goodfriend so you can drink a beer with your tacos. That’s not a bad idea, and I already had decided on a $6 Ommegang draft when I found out they don’t serve lunch, but I already had my little heart set on a burger. Tacos just weren’t going to do it for me, and besides, the line at the taco place was like 10 people deep, even at 1:30 p.m. Saturday.

So I set out on Garland Road, all hungry, and turned left into the Casa Linda shopping center, thinking, there’s got to be something meaty here, and there is. Fat Daddy’s. Every time I see the sign for Fat Daddy’s, I think, “Gee, that’s a terrible name for a restaurant.” You shouldn’t put “fat” in the name of your restaurant. We don’t want to be reminded.

Anyway, Fat Daddy’s, which also has a location in the ‘burbs, offers counter service. I ordered the half-pound burger with pepper jack cheese ($6.99), which comes with fries. I also ordered chips and salsa ($2.99) just to see if their salsa is any good, and it is, although the chips were stale. And I ordered “a beer.” There’s only one kind of beer at Fat Daddy’s, and it’s Bud Light on draft. I’m not that picky, and I just wanted a beer for my salty food, so I ordered it. I figured it must be a pretty cheap beer because my total was only $10-something, and I’m not a mathematician. Then I saw the sign announcing free beer. Free beer! That’s my favorite price to pay for beer. I wanted to order another one and watch the rest of the Rangers game after I finished eating, but I’m too shy to ask for a second free beer. That’s the only problem, in my opinion, with free beer. Guilt.

The burger was pretty good, well seasoned, although I wasn’t crazy about the bread, which was barely substantial enough to handle the juicy meat. The burgers come plain, and you can add fixin’s from the toppings bar. The guys at the table next to me ordered onion rings and tater tots with their burgers, and they looked much better than these fries.

Fat Daddy’s has a video-game arcade and big TVs. It is either a place to take your kids, or a place to never take your kids because they will want to go there all the dang time, I’m not sure. Either way, free beer.

Fair Park and Texas-OU

Jeff Siegel — Mon, 14 May 2012 11:28:38 +0000

Here’s a question for Mayor Vision: How did he get to Fair Park for last week’s Texas-OU announcement? He didn’t need to take a signature bridge.

Nothing illustrates the short-sightedness that dominates the thinking of those who run the city better than Fair Park. They whine and bellyache about the need to build things — signature bridges, convention center hotels, toll roads in river levees. That we already have something that exists nowhere else in the world is something they seem to be happy to ignore.

Unless, of course, it’s budget cutting time, when they always notice Fair Park. It has lost 12 percent of its funding since the 2007-08 budget, though we’ve managed to build the bridge and the convention center hotel despite the budget crisis.

I’ve always wondered why the bosses downtown dislike Fair Park so much. Is it because it’s not in a “convenient” part of town? Is it because it’s not new, and the only way to have a world-class city is to have lots of new things? Call me a cynic, but I’ve always suspected that Fair Park gets short shrift because it doesn’t lend itself to the sort of real estate development that motivates the people who run the city. You can’t tear it down to build something new.

The legendary Carroll Shelby dies at 89

Christina Hughes Babb — Fri, 11 May 2012 20:31:07 +0000

Carroll Shelby in 2009, before grand marshaling the Woodrow Wilson High School anniversary parade.

The timelessly cool Carroll Shelby — 1956 and ’57 Sports Illustrated race car driver of the year who fashioned, in later years, some of the world’s fastest high performance rides, including the Cobra, Viper, Shelby Mustangs and Ford GT — died Thursday, reportedly from pneumonia.

Shelby was a Woodrow Wilson High School graduate. He told us in a 2009 interview that he “spent a lot of time in the principal’s office” and even had a run-in or two with the law during his high school years.

“I got in trouble for driving too fast on a couple of occasions. There was this railroad track I liked to speed over — see how much air I could catch,” the then 86-year-old recalled.

The year I interviewed him, he served as the grand marshall of our neighborhood high school’s 80th anniversary parade. Even then, he had just returned to his Texas Ranch following a five-day stint at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway where his Shelby Automobiles sponsored the NASCAR Spring Cup series.

Carroll Shelby after winning the 1959 24 Hours of Le Mans. Courtesy of his publicist

Motor Trend magazine named Shelby one of the top 50 most important people in the auto industry. He’s been inducted into the International MotorSports Hall of Fame and the Automotive Hall of Fame, and more recently, the Woodrow Wilson High School Hall of Fame.

Mr. Shelby, you were one of a kind and the world will be a smidgen less exciting without you!