The Grim Eater

Dear Leslie Brenner,

After seeing the movie “Chef” last night and having recently returned to the restaurant industry I feel like it’s time to write your letter-a-day.

I’m a blogger but not a food blogger. I enjoy a nice meal but I’m not a foodie. I’m a work in a restaurant but hopefully not forever and I’m a Dallas native who’s proud of our dedicated food scene.

When it comes down to it, there are essentially three things to do in Dallas.

We shop like every store at NorthPark is going out of business. We watch and discuss sports like they actually affect our personal lives. And most importantly we eat out at restaurants as if every meal were our last. In so many ways, Dallas has elevated dining beyond a casual habit to something of a sport like hunting exotic game. For those who can afford it’s s an entire lifestyle unto itself.

We don’t have any Michelin Star restaurants like New York City and it’s not a dining destination like New Orleans. Our food scene can be myopic and self congratulatory to a dangerously high degree at times. But despite it all, our passion for dining is undeniable and is to be celebrated. Criticism can be both honest and constructive.

Unlike many, I’m not here to bash your reviewing style or stance on certain restaurants. I’ll even pretty much side with you on this whole John Tesar Twitter fiasco. He must have seen “Chef” also and realized there was an opportunity to get more press for himself. I’ve never been to The Knife myself (I’m but a lowly waiter) but I thought your review was more complementary than not.

Try to be a friend to the industry. When you crush someone’s favorite restaurants, it feels personal because it’s the personal touches that makes a restaurant special for most people. Food and wait staff all add up to an experience that, when done right, makes you feel like part of the family. A great Dallas restaurateur once printed on their menu that, “The love is free”.

Love and be loved Mrs. Brenner.

PS: Of course laziness is inexcusable but if possible, be sympathetic to the waiter who doesn’t know as much about food as you. They don’t get to eat out for a living.

RESPONSE:

Dear Mr. Bernstein,

Thank you for your thoughtful letter. I am honored that you choose me as today’s recipient. 

I understand where you’re coming from, but I cannot be a “friend to the industry” — that is absolutely not a critic’s role (nor any serious journalist’s) role. My work is in service to our readers. I am aware that it may not feel very nice to have a critic say that a dish a reader loves had some technical flaws, and I wish that part were otherwise. But honesty is a key part of a critic’s role, and I’m paid to express my honest opinion. When I express my views of a restaurant, its food, service and ambience, I’m trying to help the reader experience the restaurant vicariously, and helping them understand the restaurant in the context of our dining scene. After that, it’s up to the reader to decide whether he or she wants to spend his or her hard-earned money there.  

I do feel sympathy for waiters whose food knowledge is lacking, but it really is up to the management to educate the servers about the menu they’re being asked to sell and serve. That’s why I’m always writing that better training would be in order in so many situations. On the other hand, if training isn’t forthcoming, waiters can always learn what’s need by asking the chef, or reading. Getting information about food and cooking is easier than ever. And waiters don’t have to master a whole world of food knowledge, just what’s on the menu at their restaurant. Meanwhile, “I don’t know off the top of my head, but I’m happy to go in the kitchen and find out” is always a great answer.

Thank you again for taking the time to write. I truly appreciate your sharing your thoughts — and reading The Dallas Morning News.

All best,

Leslie

 

Pecan Lodge

Dear Justin and Diane Fourton,

Maybe this has happened to you:

You like a band.  Maybe you randomly caught a live show one night and got into them early. Maybe your really hip friend who knows all the bands that no one knows showed them to you (or maybe you are that cool friend). However it happened, you love this band and it feels like your special little secret.

Next thing you know, you hear a song on the radio. Then their next show in town sells out. That airhead (but really hot) sorority girl takes a selfie at the concert and you see it on Instagram the next day. And eventually a new album comes out.

You fear that the band maybe lost touch. You hear they are taking a new direction. They signed to a major label. Finally, you work up the courage to give the new album a listen…

…And it’s good! Actually it’s great. It’s everything you loved about them plus a new twist and you’re relieved and happy.

This is a loose metaphor for my relationship with Pecan Lodge. I tried the new location today and everything was stellar. My slight apprehension about the change of venue was gone in 2 bites. I’m sure you’re tired of the comparison, but Dallas officially has it’s Franklin BBQ equivalent.

Congrats and see ya’ll soon!

LA Lady

Why not?

 

RESPONSE:

I really enjoy you letter-a-day project, particularly my letter, for my day. I hope you find my response equally exciting. I’m breaking it up into individual emails, just as it’s written on individual postcards, in hopes that you’ll experience a journey. As someone wise once told me, do what makes you feel good.

X
Rachel

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Bag Ban

Dallas City Councilman Dwaine Caraway is fighting to enact a citywide band on single-use plastic bags.

Dear Councilman Caraway,

We are creatures of habit and the idea of change can be intimidating.  When it comes to changing a simple habit like not using plastic bags at the grocery store, people might get a little flustered. How can I get my groceries home without 17 plastic bags, some may ask? What about satisfying my customers, business owners will complain? What right does the government have to tell me what type of bags I can or can’t use, Tea Party Members will decry?

Often times, the best ideas are the most simple. This one seems pretty straightforward to me: plastic bags are a huge source of litter -> restrict business from giving thousands of them away every day -> reduce the amount of litter.

I’ve got a guerrilla social awareness idea. Let’s get all the businesses that support the bag-ban to fly a plastic bag up their flag pole the day the city council will vote. It will at least get people talking.I’m really glad you are pushing for a ban on single-use plastic bags in Dallas. Austin didn’t implode when they enacted a bag ban last year. In fact, early reports are hailing it a success.

I really hope your initiative makes it through the city council gauntlet. Best of luck!

DART Pumpkin

Dear Mr Gary C. Thomas,

I have a car because it is a basic necessity in Dallas. I use my car to go to work, go grocery shopping and do most things. I also live a 5 minute walk from the Forest Lane DART station. Weather permitting and when I’m not in a hurry, I’ll take the DART Rail to go out on the weekend. Especially in combination with my bicycle, I can get basically anywhere I want to go on the train and don’t have to worry about parking or driving drunk. Win Win.

Here’s the only problem with this plan. The train stops running at 12:15ish, even on the weekend, and I become a “DART pumpkin”.  But then it starts again around 3:30am? Come on now. Those three hours in between are really important for those of us who enjoy the nightlife in our fine city.

Help me avoid driving drunk or paying $40 for a taxi. Just one train an hour would do the trick, maybe a train 1:00am and at 2:30am. Please don’t tell me it’s a money issue. One train and one person could do the job.

Hope my suggestions are heard. Thanks!

PS: We NEED a East-West route on the North side of town but apparently the Cotton Belt line won’t start being built until 2025 (if at all)! I hope to see it in my lifetime then.

RESPONSE:

Mr. Bernstein, thank you for taking the time to send me your note.  Also, let me thank you for riding DART!

While there are some cost considerations, the primary reason that we don’t run train service during those early morning hours is so we can perform required maintenance tasks on the rail corridors.  As you are certainly aware, there is quite a bit of rail traffic throughout the day and the early morning time allows us to take care of the maintenance along the corridors without the concerns associated with an active rail.  

 

As our region continues to grow and develop, we will continue to evaluate our service and opportunities to serve people’s transportation needs in the most efficient and economic way.

 

Thanks again,

Gary Thomas

ME:

I really appreciate the you taking the time reply Gary. Glad to hear it’s not just about the $$. Looking forward to the Oak Cliff Trolley and the Orange line making it to the airport!

RESPONSE: 

Me too!  The orange line will be open to the airport later this year.  It is scheduled for December 2014, but we are trending early.  Stay tuned for the exact date.  The streetcar is also very exciting for multiple reasons.  It is a US manufactured vehicle and the first in the US that will dual mode, both battery and overhead  trolley wire.  Of course the “last mile” connectivity to Oak Cliff and Bishop Arts is critical as well.

 

Thanks for your comments and interest

Car2go

Paul DeLong is the Director of Marketing for Car2Go North America. 

Release the hounds.

Hi Paul,

Oh how I miss Car2go. It became an essential part of going out in Austin (especially when it was too cold to ride my bike). I’ve used car2go in 4 cities and counting (Austin, San Diego, Seattle, Portland). Now I need you to please launch a fleet in Dallas ASAP. 

Dallas may be known for sprawl and a general apathy towards progressive ideas, but I believe we would put Car2Go to good use. The city’s population is growing steadily more dense in the Uptown and Downtown areas yet there are few alternative forms of transportation between the two. Bike lanes are literally non-existent and our light-rail system, though substantial, is designed for travel between urban to suburban areas. I know at least a dozen people who drive the 1.5 miles between home in Uptown and work Downtown everyday. That’s just silly… and a great opportunity for Car2Go.

Both Uber and Lyft have been very successful here and they’re under the “car-sharing” umbrella. If there is any other city in Texas that deserves a Car2Go fleet, it has to be Dallas. What does Car2Go look for in a city? Any new markets on the horizon?

Thanks for you time.

PS: Here’s my figurative Car2Go Operating Area.

Dallas Car2Go Operating Area

 

RESPONSE from Paul DeLong:

Hayden –

Thanks for this letter, and what a great thing “1 letter a day”.  Your passion is there, and love your style of writing. Pretty Cool.

Dallas is very interesting, I lived there for 5 years….well sort of (Rockwall) but spent many Saturday’s going to Campisis’s  on Elm with my wife.

Density and the vibrancy of a the Downtown Core are some of critical pieces that are looked at.

I have cc’d Josh on this email, he is our Business Development Manager and a good guy.

Regards,

pd

Response from Josh Moskowitz:

Hayden –

Thanks for the shout; love it when we hear from members who used our service in a city, or several, have moved and need their car2go fix. Kudos to you in going ever further and coming up with a Home Area; I just did some quick research using it and like Paul mentioned, one of the key indicators that we look for is high-levels of population density and a thriving core.

For comparison’s sake, MPLS is our smallest city that we operate in, with 350,000 residents and 7,500 residents/sq.mile. For your proposed Home Area, there are 150,000 residents in 28 square miles, so 5,196 residents/sq. miles. In order for this to work we would need at least 6,000 residents/sq. mile; we also couldn’t go below 28 square miles.

Finally, not sure if you have city contacts, but we would need to talk with them so that Dallas members could receive the same parking benefits our other members do (free parking!).

Thanks again for reaching out. Let me know what you think about all this.

Josh

75 and Sunny Please

Dear Pete Delkus,

Punxsutawney Phil let me down this Monday and I’m in need of some good news Pete. This winter has been a nasty one and it’s really starting to wear on me. The snow and ice isn’t nearly as exciting as when I was in grade school. Isn’t there something you can do?

North Texas is probably an exciting place to be a weatherman. We get a bit of everything and that must keep you on your toes. One day its 75 degrees and sunny, a few days later the Metroplex is shut down with an ice storm. I’m sure you know the saying: “If you don’t like the weather in Texas, just wait 10 minutes.” Who would want to be a meteorologist in say, San Diego, where the weather never varies from perfect.

So I’ve always wondered… Are you personally making the weather calculations and predictions or is there a nerd stashed away somewhere and you’re just the on-air talent?

Also, this is LEGIT:

Well I’m sure your busy with this snow today. Thanks for your time Pete, hope to hear back soon.

~Hayden

RESPONSE:

Thanks for the note. I do all of my own forecasts…so if they’re wrong…no one to blame but me!

Have a good week…stay warm!

Community Beer Company

Dear Kevin Carr & Jamie Fulton,

When I lived in San Diego, my favorite local brewery was Stone. When I lived in Prague my favorite brewery was Staropramen. When I lived in Austin my favorite local brewery was Austin Beer Works. Now that I live in Dallas, my favorite local brewery is…you guessed it… Community Beer Company!

This is not a decision I made without much deliberation and “experimentation”. It came down to Lakewood and you guys. I’ve always identified with East Dallas and I like Lakewood’s branding, but it was your Mosaic IPA that tipped the scale in your favor. Basically every craft brewery makes an IPA these days but so many miss the mark. I believe it’s one of the toughest styles to do well and is so much more that loading up on hops and IBU. With its citrus notes and clean finish, Mosaic takes me right back to the West Coast.

I love seeing so many local breweries opening up in Dallas (and seemingly every city), but I have to wonder if the craft “bubble” will burst eventually. Will the market become oversaturated with craft offerings? Is it already? I believe quality and consistency will rule out in the end.

I haven’t made it to the brewery yet but it’s high on my list of weekend activities. Looking forward to it and keep up the good work.

Thanks – Hayden

Hope is Not a Strategy

Dear Mayor Mike Rawlings,

Tonight I attended the Come Together forum. It’s the first time I’ve heard you speak in person or ever put a face to the name. I have to commend you for sitting down to talk about this contentious issue. There is really no way to talk about the disparity between North and South Dallas without talking about race (although ya’ll did your best to avoid the topic). It wasn’t until I lived in other cities that I realized how severely divided Dallas really is. With a few exceptions, the majority of racial minorities live on the south side of the Trinity River. I agree that bridging these communities to create a more collective Dallas identity is the next step to becoming a truly great city.

Education is a topic everyone can agree on and dominated the evening’s talk. Undoing decades of institutionalized segregation starts (but doesn’t end) with the schools system. No easy answers here unfortunately. It’s not just an issue of funding or quality teachers or improving graduation rates. It is a systemic hopelessness that has contaminated DISD.

You said plenty of insightful things at Come Together, but one quote really stood out to me: “You’re hopeless without hope, but hope is not a strategy.” People already voted for hope (twice) and not much changed for them. They are tired of ideology. They are tired of being tired.

I left the forum feeling hopeful. I also left without hearing a strategy.

Sincerely, Hayden

PS: Tear down IH 345

RESPONSE (from the Mayor’s office):

Mr. Bernstein:

Thanks for reaching out and attending last night’s event. The Mayor’s education strategy includes several components and continues to evolve. He has been working closely with DISD and various nonprofits to create new programs and promote existing programs that will improve academic achievement. He has publicly supported Superintendent Mike Miles in his efforts to reform DISD and integrated education into his GrowSouth initiative. And he has used his position as Mayor as a bully pulpit to shed light on and raise awareness about the alarming statistics we face in Dallas as it relates to education.

Those are just a few examples, and much more is on the way in 2014.

Regards,

Sam Merten
Manager of Public Affairs and Communications
Office of Mayor Mike Rawlings

10 Years. 10 Artists. 10 Sites

Jeremy Strick is Director at the Nasher Sculpture Center in Dallas. To celebrate their 10th anniversary, the Nasher commissioned 10 public art installations throughout the city.

Hello Mr. Strick,

I hope this letter finds you well as the Xchange wraps up this month. Today I spent the afternoon with my mom tracking down all 10 installations throughout the city. From UTD to Paul Quinn College,  the beautifully designed app to lead us from piece to  piece. As we would approach the next installation a satisfying alert would tell us we were getting close. Then it would appear, as unique and meaningful as the last. I have to say my favorite piece was Fountainhead at NorthPark Mall. The constant flow of dollar bills streaming from nowhere to nowhere while in direct juxtaposition with the most expensive retail stores is just awesome. I have to wonder how many people even notice the piece as they walk into Louis Vuitton and LaCoste. The icing on the cake is the interactive donation component. I gave a buck, totally worth it.

How did the Xchange come to be? Did each artist just roam the city and find somewhere that inspired them? For instance, Buried House (which just so happens to be on Calder Street) in  Oak Cliff. Not much to see there, but I think the journey to the site and the neighborhood itself was the artist’s focus. Especially having been at NorthPark only hours before, the locale is a strong message in and of itself.

While at University of Texas I took a class called Digital Media Design. One of our projects was to use digital technology to engage museum patrons. Xchange does this so incredibly well, from the social component encouraging users to upload their photos at the installations to the in depth information about each piece. One thing Dallas really got right was the Arts District and in my opinion the Nasher is the keystone piece. It is unmatched in its dedication to make fine art accessible to the public, just as Ray Nasher intended.

Thank you for this exhibit. I’m looking forward to the final “infomercial”.

-Hayden

PS: I think I have a solution to the Museum Tower standoff. BIG spotlights, pointed directly into the apartments. Their reflective windows disrupt our viewing experience during the day, our spotlights disrupt the residents sleep at night. Fair trade.

My favorite piece at the Nasher, Tending (Blue) by James Turrell, which was ruined by Museum Tower.