Major Melange

Cinema Verite

2012-02-12T13:10:00.000-08:00

Angelika Theater in Plano, Texas

I may be, ahem, projecting here, but am I the only movie-goer who is pleased that an increasing number of theaters are offering the option of an adult beverage with a film? We ventured by the Angelika in Plano, Texas, Saturday night to see the Iranian Oscar-nominated movie, "A Separation," and I was pleased to have the option of this beer or wine. (It was late, so I went for coffee though.) The AMC 15 at NorthPark Center recently added a booze kiosk, and more theaters are upping the quality of drinks and food. I'd much rather pay $8 for a gin and tonic than $8 for a medium soda. To all the theaters headed this direction, I offer a toast.

Ballooning Romance

2012-02-07T11:51:00.000-08:00

"Love" heart balloon at grocery

While making a stop late last night for milk and bananas at my local Tom Thumb, I found myself in a helium jungle of Valentine's Day balloons. Apparently the grocery's floral department was bracing itself early for the Feb. 14 holiday and had tethered a Hindenburg's worth of holiday balloons at the ends of the toiletry and paper aisles. It was like walking through a crazy, blood-red spider's web, with heart-felt missives clinging to me like failed dreams as I clawed my way through. Nothing says deep, touching romance like a grocery balloon.

Hello, Cupcake

2012-02-05T20:16:00.000-08:00

Gargantuan cupcake on Whole Foods catering van.

Sometimes you just feel like livin' large, so I ventured by my Dallas neighborhood's Whole Foods this weekend and stumbled across this giant cupcake glued to the roof of the grocery's catering van. It's gigantic, but not nearly as big as the bottle of wine and shrimp that were also up there. Click on the photo to see it even bigger.

So Bloomin' Early

2012-02-03T14:49:00.000-08:00

Dallas daffodils on Feb. 3

This must be a sign of global warming or something, but the field of daffodils across the street from my home are already petal-pushing. They've gone into full-bore bloom at least three weeks earlier than normal. Such a mild winter usually bodes summer bugs the size of brontosaurus.

Heure D'Oeuvre

2012-02-01T11:46:00.000-08:00

Clock at Dallas' Toulouse Cafe

French food waxes and wanes in Dallas, but Toulouse Cafe and Bar on Knox Street has hit the right vibe and menu to last more than decade. It still has the muscle and mussels to transport guests to the Left Bank. Our book club was reading "The Dub Avocado" by Elaine Dundy, a 1958 book about American bohemians in Paris, so we gathered to discuss it in the bistro-like atmosphere. Of course, to complete the experience we had to imbibe in a couple of glasses of Bordeaux and a soupcon of French-onion soup. (Though I'm still skeptical of the onions' nationality.) The hands of time have stopped on this clock on Toulouse's wall, but then so has the period ambience. J'adore ca.

One Very Fortunate Cookie

2012-01-26T12:17:00.000-08:00

Chinese lanterns glow at Five Sixty

Celebrations of the Chinese New Year, which began Jan. 23, are continuing, and I was one fortunate cookie to sample a lavish dinner at Five Sixty by Wolfgang Puck in Dallas' Reunion Tower. (The name comes from the 560-foot tall revolving orb that serves as the restaurant's home.) Wolfgang Puck will be at the restaurant on Feb. 1, but chef Patton Robertson showcased his offerings Wednesday night. The five courses, priced at $125 per guest, are inspired by the elements of earth, fire, metal, water and wood. Elemental highlights were the "earth" Szechuan-pepper-crusted filet with longevity noodles and the "fire" apple-wood-smoked Peking duck, which let out a lovely smoke signal as the dish's lid was lifted. The menu is offered through Feb. 3, and I should be dragon myself down there again.

Objet D'Art

2012-01-22T10:03:00.000-08:00

Guinness board at The Londoner

British pubs remain few and far between in Dallas, but we needed one Saturday night to provide theme-night vittles after the "Iron Lady," the movie about Britain's Margaret Thatcher. The Londoner pub in Uptown provided the ideal venue, with its low-ceilinged and crowded atmosphere and its menu of chips, curry and, my favorite, shepherd's pie. I always try to find an image that encapsulates the dining destination, so this Guinness dart board filled the bill. Subsequent research indicates that this numbered design, with the wire number 20 on top, was created in 1896 by Lancashire carpenter Brian Gamlin and probably originated from the cross section of a tree trunk. In my search for iconic visuals, this one hit the bull's eye.

Circle Tour

2012-01-17T08:51:00.000-08:00

Light and reflection at Winspear Opera House in Dallas

Lighting at various restaurants and public spaces has drawn my attention lately, including these flying-saucer-shaped fixtures that I encountered Sunday night at the Winspear Opera House in Dallas. The facility is a red-glass-clad interior concert hall constructed in a clear-glass box. This picture of the landing lights caught the reflection of the inner hall on the outer shell. (And the concert, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, was just as bright as the lighting.)

See Food for the Blind

2012-01-14T12:45:00.000-08:00

When these vision-impaired subjects experience the Braille burgers created by the fast-food chain Wimpy's in South Africa, the joy is infectious.

Outrageous Fortune

2012-01-12T12:30:00.000-08:00

... in bed.

I've been enduring, pardon the Shakespeare, the slings and arrows of outrageous fortunes lately, especially those stuck in Chinese-restaurant cookies. Fortune cookie sayings are getting lamer by the month. Some almost seem threatening. At left is one that I picked up at Pei Wei Asian Diner last night. Even the addition of "...in bed" couldn't rescue it from the precipice of lameness. Has anyone else seen the quality of cookie fortunes slipping? I guess my last one should have been printed with: "You shall soon have an Andy Rooney moment."

Booze Mittens

2012-01-10T12:22:00.000-08:00

Fistful of hollas

As the winter chill falls upon us and our desire to have a brewsky outweighs rational considerations like frozen extremities, the answer has come in the form of the Skuuzi. A Scandinavian company now offers these Booze Mittens, at right, which are perfect for the drinker who has trouble letting go when letting go. All I can add is: "Get a grip."

Berry Bright

2012-01-08T15:10:00.000-08:00

Nandina berries

Nandina shrubs, which are a relative of bamboo and can be as invasive, have begun to glow with bright red berries in my yard, giving the bleak month of Dallas January a brighter glow. I photographed these this Sunday afternoon, applied an iPhone application called ColorSplash and then sent it through the social-media-sharing app Instagram. Everybody is becoming an artist, I guess.

Getting a Charge Out of It

2012-01-07T15:00:00.000-08:00

My kitchen counter looks like I'm about ready to go hunting with these CO2 cartridges (at left) -- which to my mind look like shotgun shells -- open to manufacture some delicious homemade seltzer water. I'm a big fan of sparkling water (much preferring the mineral content and mouth feel of Italian S. Pellegrino to French Perrier), but thanks to a friend's thoughtful Christmas gift I'm now making my own with delicious Dallas tap water. These newish iSi clear seltzer bottlers are very popular. I've got one of the old siphons stuck away somewhere, but this makes for some good quaffs. I'm alternating tap water with home-squeezed sparkling lemonade. I'm still declining to call it by the trademark name: "Twist 'N' Sparkle." That sounds like a condition that Xanax would produce.

How Do You Like Dem Apples?

2012-01-05T13:35:00.000-08:00

Autumn Glory @ Whole Foods

Tis the season for apples, I presume, given the yards and yards of varieties laid out last night at my local Whole Foods. The produce display had at least a dozen different varieties, from Pink Lady to Honeycrisp. I settled on one that I'd not knowingly tried before: Autumn Glory. It's tangy and tasty, and I'm recommending it. I also noticed that in the vicinity of all these apples, there wasn't a medical professional to be seen for blocks. They really do keep the doctor away.

Lip Service

2012-01-01T20:48:00.000-08:00

Urinal at Rum Shack in Galveston

Restaurants and bars offer a variety of porcelain facilities for the comfort of their guests, but this was a new one for me. The urinals at the Rum Shack in Galveston, Texas, are enameled and shaped like giant open mouths, complete with teeth. It's a good conversation piece, and lips just wouldn't stop flapping about them.

Back, in a Jiffy

2011-12-15T19:20:00.000-08:00

Clocktower in Chelsea, Mich.

During my recent trip to Ann Arbor, Mich., I took a little side trip to Chelsea, Mich., a city of 5,000 about 20 minutes away. The main reason was to tour the Chelsea Milling Co., which manufactures those little boxes of Jiffy-brand corn muffin and other baked-goods mixes. I also discovered this former village now serves as the home of actor Jeff Daniels, who created a theater in the community as well as serves as spokesman for television ads promoting Michigan as a site for business. While I didn't meet Daniels, I did encounter this seven-story clocktower, built in 1907, that's on the rail line in downtown Chelsea. It's a handsome structure just a block from where Jiffy is boxed.

Flower Power

2011-12-14T18:41:00.000-08:00

Bouquet at La Duni.

Much can be said in favor of the little touches that make the restaurant experience a little more special. Take this bouquet of yellow-orange roses for example. They stand atop the bakery case at La Duni Latin Kitchen & Bakery on Oaklawn Avenue in Dallas. I noticed a number of guests just stopping for a moment on their way into the restaurant or on the way out to take in their beauty. And their eyes then lingered on some of the beautiful pastries nearby as well. The roses complete the experience, even though the restaurant itself isn't uber elegant.

Cheese, Louise!

2011-12-12T20:59:00.000-08:00

Men's room identifier.

After more than a decade away, I finally darkened the door of the old-timey Simply Fondue restaurant on Dallas' Greenville Avenue with the best friends in the world. I'd probably go more often if I truly deep down wanted to cook for myself and smell like canola oil for a few weeks after. It's so hard to find a department store cosmetics counter scent that can come close. I did enjoy this brass plaque on the men's room door.

Peel Me a Grapefruit ...

2011-12-10T15:01:00.001-08:00

Filleted grapefruit sections

Texas grapefruit, especially the Ruby Reds, are in high season right now, and I'm finding they make for a low-calorie lunch. However, I've always disliked devouring them as halves and with those serrated spoons. So this year, I've developed a system for peeling and filleting the sections. Served with a sprinkle of sea salt, they are a delight. And I prevent scurvy.

Blues Book Value

2011-12-08T23:13:00.001-08:00

House of Blues Dallas.

The House of Blues has been open in Dallas for a few years, but I finally ventured down to the West End (on the north edge of downtown, if that makes any sense) on Thursday night to attend an event at the venue for the first time. Fake snow was swirling at the entrance to the private Foundation Room, where the chef from the Telluride Ski Resort held court. I see from the schedule that The Molly Ringwalds will be performing Jan. 6. I might have to try that. In the meantime, we'll have to be satisfied with this picture of the signage.

Mondrian Mezcal

2011-12-07T18:13:00.001-08:00

Bar at Lazaranda.

Lazaranda Mexican Seafood Grill is a two-month-old eatery in Addison, Texas, that sports a few design elements worthy of capture in digital. First, there's a 10-foot-long fish made out of traditional metal frames that are used to grill fish. And then there is this fantastical bar, which has rectangles in various shades of azure holding assorted brands of tequila and mezcal. I guess it's fitting as they are indeed distilled from blue agave.

Ann Arbor Daze

2011-12-06T15:40:00.001-08:00

Vintage signage at the city's downtown bus station.

For a city of about 114,000, Ann Arbor, Mich., certainly offers a rich culinary and cultural menu. During my short stay there is past week, I ran across a number of fascinating restaurants and even got to catch concerts by both Judy Collins ("Send in the Clowns" and "Both Sides Now") and Shawn Colvin ("Sunny Came Home"). Having served as the home of the University of Michigan since 1837, the economy is highly educated and diverse -- the Wolverine Empire employs about 30,000 alone. I'd go back again just to make my own cheese, which I did at Zingerman's Creamery.

Claus and Effect

2011-12-04T18:56:00.001-08:00

Mr. and Mrs. Kringle at the Downtown Home & Garden store in Ann Arbor.

While traipsing through the bitter cold in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Saturday, I ran into this festive duo at the open-to-the-elements Downtown Home & Garden store, a 100-year-old shopping institution. They were a reminder that I should start my Christmas list soon, but, even with that, they were a cheery encounter.

Apple of My Eye

2011-12-04T09:26:00.001-08:00

Ann Arbor Farmers' Market

Spending an hour and a half at the Ann Arbor Farmers' Market this past weekend allowed me to inhale the infectious spirit of the season amid the thousands of fir and pine-bough wreaths, trees and centerpieces from muffler-wrapped vendors. The sprays of winterberry were especially beautiful, like Mother Nature's snowy fireworks. Perhaps nothing was as seasonal as these unintentionally Christmas-colored baskets of Michigan apples. Several of these crisp fruits gave their lives for a welcome cup of hot cider, which was the chief source of warmth amid 22-degree temperatures. It's official now: I'm a certified weather wuss.

Letter Perfect

2011-12-03T12:09:00.001-08:00

Letter perfect at UMMA.

While doing a quick tour Friday of the University of Michigan Museum of Art, I ran across this museum staffer finishing the lettering at the entrance to a new exhibit of photographs. The ladder and the worker's shirt made for a compelling image -- almost as artistic as the delightful museum itself.

Circle Tour

2011-11-21T23:12:00.001-08:00

Lights in P.F. Chang's NorthPark

I slipped into P.F. Chang's in Dallas' NorthPark Mall on Monday evening to check out the new dinner menu, and I realized I'd forgotten how the sculptural lighting added to the character of the place. When filtered through squareness of Instagram, the ceiling lights take on a Space Age quality that's rather becoming.

Zsky Run

2011-11-12T13:57:00.001-08:00

Schlotzsky's new signage in Hillsboro, Texas

The 356-unit Schlotzsky's chain, based in Austin, Texas., is re-imaging older stores and expanding its tri-branding build-outs with Cinnabon and Carvel, sibling concepts under Focus Brands of Atlanta. I talk with Kelly Roddy, president of the concept, about those topics as well as expansion of Schlotzsky's pizza offerings.

Dam! This is amazing

2011-11-06T11:59:00.000-08:00

This video of a Washington State dam being exploded is amazing. These Oct. 26, 2011, blasts drained the 100-year-old Condit Dam's reservoir on the White Salmon River. The video is from YouTube's National Geographic channel.

Shake, Rattle & Roll

2011-11-06T10:29:00.000-08:00

The 5.6 earthquake Saturday night that shook Oklahoma also elicited some interesting Twitter comments, including this report of a TV news report.

Smashing Pumpkins

2011-11-01T22:52:00.000-07:00

What to do with your leftover jack-o-lanterns and a slo-mo camera:

Play Ball

2011-10-24T22:54:00.000-07:00

Ballpark in Arlington, Texas

My first World Series baseball game ended with a 4-2 win tonight for the hometown Texas Rangers over the St. Louis Cardinals. The more than 51,000 fans enjoyed spectacular October weather (72 degrees at 7:05 p.m. first pitch) and Game 5 of the series. Here's a picture of the Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, Texas, as we arrived after making several attempts to get into full parking lots. The fair-weather fans were enjoying the fair weather early.

Cotton Candy Clouds

2011-10-22T19:14:00.000-07:00

"Evening Clouds - DFW - 22 Oct 2011"

Choo-Choo Choosing Routes

2011-10-11T21:08:00.000-07:00

Train number in Chama, N.M.

The narrow-guage Cumbres & Toltec Railroad line between Antonito, Colo., and Chama, N.M., offers one of the phenomenal scenic train rides on the continent. The 64-mile route climbs to 10,016 feet through the Rockies. The 1880s railroad town of Osier provides the lunch stop, pushing hundreds of people through in less than an hour. This is a train engine at the railroad yard in Chama. A video of the ride will be posted soon.

When the Winds Won't Flag

2011-10-03T21:50:00.000-07:00

N.M. flag at Vietnam Memorial

Sometimes a photographer can catch things just right to produce a dynamic picture. I was on a wind-blown bluff near Angel Fire, N.M., last week, visiting the Vietnam Memorial there, and snapped this shot of the New Mexico state flag flying in the gale-force breeze. The clouds were just perfect to light it from the back.

Easy to Swallow

2011-10-01T11:07:00.000-07:00

El Rancho de las Golondrinas

While I've made many trips to Santa Fe, N.M., I still find new discoveries in the area. On September's trip, I encountered El Rancho de las Golondrinas, a living history museum on 200 acres about 20 minutes southwest of Santa Fe's Plaza. Golondrinas, which translates as "Swallows," is a ranch that in the 1700s served as the first day's stop for Camino Real ("Royal Road") travelers outside Santa Fe on their way south to Mexico City. Many of the buildings have been restored or brought back to life at this non-profit venture, including the barn/chapel above.

Georgia on My Mind

2011-09-29T21:50:00.000-07:00

Gnarled tree steps away from Georgia O'Keefe's home on Ghost Ranch in New Mexico

While touring Northern New Mexico last week, we stopped a day at Ghost Ranch, which served as one of the homes for artist Georgia O'Keefe. This photo was taken just a few steps away from her artist's studio and home. The quality of light was amazing, and the colors extraordinarily vibrant. The ranch is now owned by the Presbyterian Church, which uses it for camps and meetings. We got to go into areas normally fenced off from the public, including to this site, which many speculate served as the spot for O'Keefe's noted "Gerald's Tree" painting -- one of few of her works to carry a person's name.

It Just Dawned on Me ...

2011-09-28T15:59:00.000-07:00

Sunset in Nevada, Texas.

After two weeks of intense travel in New Mexico -- Albuquerque one week and then Santa Fe, Taos, Angel Fire, Chama, Abiquiu and a cross-border foray into Antonito, Colo. -- and then a decampment for four days to the terrarium-like confines of the Gaylord Texan for back-to-back conferences, I'm finally home to catch up on the blog. I have some great New Mexico photographs to post when I can strip them off the camera. Until then, you have this photograph of a Texas sunset in the far suburban confines of Nevada, Texas, where I went for dinner Saturday night. This is a backyard picture that just knocked my socks off.

Big Wheels

2011-09-16T20:33:00.000-07:00

Bikes have bright yellow tires.

Thank goodness Albuquerque's downtown is fairly flat, because we did some cycling in the city this past weekend. From the Hotel Andaluz to the Grower's Market, we pedaled our wares. A new little tour business has sprung up, and you can tell any of these Routes Rentals groups by the bright yellow tires on all the bicycles. Buyers at the farmers' market got quite a chuckle when our seven bikes sailed into the area. And each bike has a name. I rode Geronimo. Fitting.

Flower Power

2011-09-14T21:27:00.000-07:00

Sunflowers in New Mexico.

The trip last weekend to Albuquerque included some side journeys to farms and even to a corn maze -- or as it was billed: a Maize Maze. Clever folks, those New Mexicans. Besides eating some watermelon and casaba melon in the pepper fields, I encountered these sunflowers in a farmyard near town. And the cosmos were incredible, but those have been relegated to a video. I also ran into actor Neil Patrick Harris and his husband, David Burtka, several times during my stay at Los Poblanos Inn. They were staying at the Inn with their twins. A female colleague said Neil smelled like lemons. I'll have to take her word for it, as I got no sniff but just a wink.

Farm Livin'

2011-09-12T21:47:00.000-07:00

Silos on the Albuquerque farm.

After four days in New Mexico to check out the dining scene in Albuquerque, I've been left very impressed. I stayed one night at the Los Poblanos Inn, which is on a converted 24-acre farm property right in the city. The restaurant and catering facility on the 20-room property has adopted a farm-to-fork culinary strategy that looks to be bearing fruit. For breakfast Monday morning I had shakshouka, which featured two poached eggs in a spiced tomato stew with chickpeas, feta and olive oil.

Roe Upon Roe of Mouthy Bass

2011-09-07T22:46:00.000-07:00

School choir of Billy Basses?

Flying Fish, a Southern-inspired fried-fish restaurant in Dallas, has hundreds upon hundreds of those gag-gift animated, singing mounted basses on the walls and even the ceiling, each inscribed with a dedication and a date. The fish -- officially known as "Big Mouth Billy Bass" -- could inspire quite a choir if the buttons were pushed simultaneously.

Foodservice Heads Back to School

2011-09-06T08:29:00.000-07:00

As Labor Day passes, students seriously get back to the books and the cafeteria line. I had the opportunity to look at some new programs in the schools and to talk with the White House chef and senior policy adviser Sam Kass for a video.

Squeeze Boxing

2011-09-04T10:31:00.000-07:00

Henk's European Deli in Dallas is a standby eatery for dining on weekend movie outings, as the grocery/bakery/deli is open for dinner on Friday and Saturday nights only and very near my favorite AMC theater. This weekend, "The Debt" opened, and because the movie was about Nazi-hunters, a German spaetzle emporium was the perfect choice for a Theme Night -- or it's as close as we could come to 1960s East Berlin. Henk's generally has an accordion player for entertainment. This dude was especially Teutonic looking, down to the handlebar moustache.

Free-Range Sushi

2011-08-26T11:42:00.000-07:00

I've always wondered if tanks filled with live fish are the optimal decorative device in sushi restaurants. These pretty swimmers are at Oishii in Dallas.

Alton Brown's Diss of Molecular Gastronomy

2011-08-21T10:11:00.000-07:00

As more reporting moves to the Internet, it gives reporters vast new tools to work with. Over the past year, I've been doing a video snippet at least once a week. During the American Culinary Federation's national convention last month in Grapevine, Texas, I stumbled upon a story that displays power of Internet linkage. "Good Eats" host Alton Brown was a keynote speaker, and, during questions, he unleashed a colorful diss on "molecular gastronomy." The video was picked up by a number of websites nationwide, including Eater.com and HuffingtonPost. I caught that part of his presentation with my Flip camera, and it went viral. After getting embedded in a number of other sites, it has developed its own infamy. Here it is:

iTunes: iPad Takes Over Sheet Music

2011-08-20T21:01:00.000-07:00

The continued march of iPads to take over former printed material continues. The handy little tech devices are pushing into restaurants with iPad wine lists and iPad ordering, but today I saw a first: iPad sheet music. This group was performing in Dallas' NorthPark Mall, and all their music was on iPads suspended on devices that were once music stands. (Click on the photo to see the "sheet music" better.) Presumably they could check their email during the Mozart number and Tweet during the Tchaikovsky.

The Waffle, Waffle Truth

2011-08-19T16:05:00.000-07:00

Waffle House hadn't drawn me in for many years, but I was working on a story about the family-dining segment that required a little research, so I ventured by the one closest to my house. (If you don't have the Siri app for iPhone yet, it's the best thing since geo-location sliced bread.) While it remains a bargain -- with four items at $1 each -- I was startled to see a $9.99 ribeye steak dinner on the menu. This place has gone all classy and stuff.

Li'l Bit Country & Li'l Bit Rockin' Chair

2011-08-18T21:46:00.000-07:00

Cracker Barrel hadn't been on my "to-dine" list for many moons, but I was working on a story Thursday that required some first-hand intel on the 601-unit family-dining brand. So I headed up the Interstate to Lewisville, Texas, where the nearest Cracker Barrel Old Country Store is located. I'd forgotten that the rocking chairs on the "front porch" are all for sale. Some are gently used and marked down from the typical $129.99 -- however the retail wags label them as "Comfortably Broken-In Rocker: Now $97.49."

Bee Local

2011-08-17T14:41:00.001-07:00

Restaurants sometimes offer a few local products for retail sale, but this was a clever tie-in I spied at the popular Bolsa in Dallas' Oak Cliff Neighborhood. The restaurant sells local honey. And not just any local honey, this is honey that is harvested by ZIPcode and branded as, straight-forwardly, "Zip Code Honey." I'm sure the bees might wander into other postal areas, but for the most part they get their nectar from local flora. And the local ZIP is on the cap. It's a nice touch.

Somm Kind of Wonderful: #TexSom

2011-08-15T20:50:00.000-07:00

The Texas Sommelier Conference wrapped up today after three days of great educational seminars. Among the many highlights were a tasting of red wines from Burgundy's Cote d'Or and a vertical tasting of Lebanese wines from Chateau Musar. Musar's owner and winemaker, Serge Hochar, provided insights and presided over the tasting that included '75, '89, '98 and '03 vintages of the chateau's reds and '69, '80, '90 and '04 vintages of the whites. Lebanon's Bekaa Valley, which some speculate is the location of the biblical Eden, produces some heavenly wines. The conference is presented by the Texas Sommelier Association and the Wine & Food Foundation of Texas.

No Clowning Around

2011-08-12T10:25:00.000-07:00

I recently climbed aboard the circus train to do a story on Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey chef Michael Vaughn. Here he tells us that the hot food truck trend is a lot of work:

Bar Tending

2011-08-10T21:58:00.000-07:00

When the temperature hit 105 degrees at 5 p.m. today in Dallas, the 39th consecutive day of triple-digit readings, this Blue Bell lime fruit bar (just 80 calories) hit the spot. The longest stretch of 100-degree-plus days was 42 in the summer of 1980, before I moved here, and it looks like we'll be passing that this weekend. How many of these will it take to get the temperature down into the refreshing double digits?

Address Unknown

2011-08-07T09:12:00.001-07:00

Six of us spent Saturday afternoon and evening in Fort Worth to view the intimate "Picasso and Braque: The Cubist Experiment, 1910-1912" show at the Kimball Art Museum as delightful part of my birthday celebration, which also included a stop by the Omni spa and dinner at the charming Ellerbe's Fine Foods. I also enjoy this huge Joan Miro sculpture at the Kimball. The childlike sculpture, entitled "Woman Addressing the Public," stands sentry at the eastern entry to the museum.

Tying One On

2011-08-04T11:13:00.000-07:00

"Tied Houses,” or taverns like this one, populate Milwaukee, Wis., harking back to a day when brewers were kings. The brewing companies built these bars, tied to a single brewer, to sell their brand, and only their brand, of beer to the neighborhood. Many of these tied houses, which oftentimes occupied a couple corners of intersections, remain, some repurposed and others still serving as bars. Beer did make Milwaukee famous. In the mid-1960s, the Big 4 brewers -- Blatz, Pabst, Schlitz and Miller – all called Milwaukee home. Miller Brewing Co. is the only one that remains.

The Laugh Warrior

2011-08-03T10:43:00.001-07:00

Among the many delightful works of art that I encountered during my recent visit to the Milwaukee Art Museum was this installation of "Chinese Contemporary Warriors" bronzes by artist Yue Minjun. The modern-looking bronzes -- each cupping its ears, expressing grimace-grins and sporting slight tummies -- play off the tomb clay warriors in Xian, China. The effect was delightful.

Fresh Wheels

2011-08-02T21:18:00.000-07:00

The Jeep, after a dozen years of service, was starting to shift more dollars into the expense category, so I broke down and put myself on a wait list for the new Lexus CT200h, the bottom-of-the-line automobile from that maker and a hybrid. The little booger arrived this week, being a hot commodity as the plants in Japan have been slowed by the earthquakes and tsunami earlier this year. So far, I'm getting 42mpg. That's refreshing. And the air-conditioning works, unlike in the Jeep. As Dallas experienced its first 110-degree day this year, working A/C is doubly refreshing.

Sign Language

2011-08-02T09:03:00.001-07:00

The clever signage gods at the Gen. Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee, Wis., offer this bit of directional humor immediately after air travelers have unpacked, nearly stripped, undergone x-rays and been unshod in the security lines: a "Recombobulation Area." Airline traveling can indeed be discombobulating. As soon as I had Tweeted out this photo, @MitchellAirport sent me a note thanking me for appreciating the institution's humor.

Farm Team

2011-07-31T19:42:00.000-07:00

Barns and silos, or the glimpses thereof, transport me back to my youth in Nebraska. These structures were part of the Botham Vineyards in Barneveld, Wis., where we stopped Sunday to sample some local wines after investigating cheeses in Mineral Point. These beat playing Farmville (tm).

Heart Land

2011-07-31T04:47:00.001-07:00

We swung by the Gail Ambrosius chocolate shop in Madison, Wis., and got a mini-seminar in Latin American-sourced sweets. Gail, the owner, gets her chocolate from small farmers in such countries as Peru, Colombia, Costa Rica and Venezuela. These chocolate hearts were being wrapped by hand with gold foil. Sweet pic.

Dots All Folks

2011-07-28T07:29:00.001-07:00

This rare mechanized Alexander Calder mobile is above the entry at the Milwaukee Art Museum, part of which is designed by Salvatore Calatrava. The ship-like museum is extraordinary, which wings that open twice a day in climate weather.

Chef Stalking

2011-07-25T15:41:00.000-07:00

After missing my interview with White House assistant chef Sam Kass in San Antonio in the spring because of storm-delayed flights, I finally caught up with him today in Grapevine at the American Culinary Federation's national convention. He advises First Lady Michelle Obama in her efforts to help improve childhood nutrition and fight obesity through the Let's Move initiative. Impressive.

This Little Piggy Went to Town

2011-07-24T15:43:00.000-07:00

This "meat map," or a rather liberal artistic interpretation of what a pig might offer foodwise, is painted on the wall at Il Cane Rosso in Dallas' Deep Ellum. Myron scooted us there Saturday night after we sat through the very perplexing "Tree of Life" movie. At least I understood the food. The Neopolitan pizzas are wood-fired and very hearty. The fried artichoke suffered from what the server called "problems with fryer," tasting more like calamari than vegetable. I'm planning to head back though.

CSI: Home-Maintenance Version

2011-07-23T15:36:00.000-07:00

A poor raccoon slipped from this mortal coil recently, unfortunately it was on the creek-side of my house. I got a massive whiff of the corpse on Thursday night as I was unlocking my back door, so today I poked around in the shrubbery and found the rather, um, mushy body, which had grown rather redolent in the 100-plus-degree heat. This was my gear for practicing some Saturday Afternoon Mortuary Science. Ick.

Another Brick in the Wall

2011-07-21T22:50:00.000-07:00

Some Austin performance artists were in Dallas Thursday night to perform "Bedpost Confessions" at the newly renovated '30s-ear Kessler theater in Oak Cliff. The old Art Deco movie house has been through a fire in the '50s, a tornado in the '60s and the ravages of time since its closure in the '70s. This is the foyer/lobby brick column that held up the towering marquee. Now it's just a stark architectural element.

Fountain Head

2011-07-20T22:53:00.001-07:00

The addition to the Music Hall at Fair Park in Dallas has some very 1970s touches, such as a free-form crystal chandelier and this basement-level low-rise fountain that, while looking dated, actually is almost trendy-chic again. I caught it with lights reflected from that chandelier for this downward-looking photo. It looks better here than in real life.

Luck Be a Lady Tonight

2011-07-19T22:38:00.000-07:00

My friend Madelyn lured me tonight to the musical "Guys and Dolls," which premiered on Broadway in 1950 and was adapted for film in 1955 with Marlon Brando and Frank Sinatra. I looked into the history and found that Abe Burrows, who wrote most of the book, was being investigated by the House Un-American Activities Committee, and the play was selected to win the 1951 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. However, the trustees of Columbia University, the Pulitzer's advisory board, vetoed the selection and no award for drama was made that year. Sad.

New Media Matters

2011-07-18T15:31:00.000-07:00

My Saturday was spent doing an interview with Todd Coerver, left, chief marketing officer for the 156-unit Taco Cabana of San Antonio, and actress-comedian Anjelah Johnson, the chain's new spokesperson. A lot of the conversation centered on the social-media platforms of Twitter, YouTube and Facebook -- all facets of the very fast-changing media world. You can read the story by clicking here.

Signing bonus

2011-07-16T09:06:00.000-07:00

Part of my job is to catch side images so they can go into video interviews, providing the breaks between questions and quick-reference visuals. On Friday, I drove over to Garland to meet with an executive of Taco Cabana and shot this sign as I left. Against the hot blue Texas sky, the pink really popped.

National French Fry Day

2011-07-13T23:46:00.000-07:00

Somehow it seems fitting that National French Fry Day is celebrated on July 13, the day before Bastille Day. I unwittingly celebrated Wednesday by trying out the new $2.95 "Small Plate" Sweet Potato Fries with Sriracha Aioli at Pei Wei Asian Diner. They are served in a little Chinese-food to-go container and are billed as "a popular Korean street food." Apparently they are in test at my local store, as the manager came by with a survey card for me to fill out after I had ordered them. The aioli could have been a little thicker, but they were quite delicious -- only in Yamerica.

Plum Crazy

2011-07-12T10:34:00.000-07:00

Stone fruits are in high season, so I'm in high gear for plums, apricots and that extra-delicious hybrid: plucots. Pictured at right was my lunch Monday: red plums and plucots. I don't often tackle peaches, as the size almost requires too much of an appetite commitment.

Catching the Momentum

2011-07-11T14:04:00.000-07:00

I had the pleasure Sunday evening of sharing a Pop-Up Restaurant meal with these folks from Cafe Momentum, which aims to provide culinary training to Dallas' disadvantaged. For information on the program, check out the website.

Sting Theory

2011-07-10T11:52:00.001-07:00

Before dinner at the Fairmont Hotel on Thursday night, the staff took us on a tour of the terrace (rooftop) garden and bee-keeping area. Bee-keepers bottle this honey by the downtown ZIPcode. I tried cajoling executive chef Andre Natera, left, to get a little closer to the rooftop hive, in the lower right, for a photograph, but he demurred because of the swarm reception. He's still a brave man.

Lady in Waiting

2011-07-09T08:07:00.000-07:00

We traipsed down to Fair Park, home of the Texas State Fair, on Friday evening to sample the "Taste of Dallas" event. The food booths were set up along the Esplanade, which is flanked on both sides by original Art Deco sculptures created for the 1936 Texas Centennial celebration. Three sculptures that represent the six flags over Texas stand in front of buildings on each side of the water features, half designed by Lawrence Tenney Stevens and the other three by Raoul Josett. I refer to this one as the "Grape Lady," which I think represents Spain. Or wine.

Salad Daze

2011-07-07T21:43:00.001-07:00

I've rolled across a lot of watermelon in salads the past month. When we were in Bisbee, Ariz., we had a lovely watermelon-feta-mint salad at Cafe Roca. And on Thursday night, I ran across a similar version during dinner with the chef at the Pyramid Restaurant in the Fairmont Hotel in downtown Dallas. This version, pictured above, was Watermelon Brulee, featuring slight scorched melon, Brazos Valley feta cheese, local mint, sherry and local honey vinaigrette. It was a summer delight, as well as being easy on the eyes.

Lights Fantastic

2011-07-06T19:11:00.001-07:00

These three lights at Zoes Kitchen at Preston Royal have for several months baited me for a photograph. Groups of three usually make for nice pictures, but I could never figure out how to capture them above a round table for six. Finally on Tuesday night, the table was open so I knelt at the edge and shot an iPhone pic. Instagram "friends" in London have been egging me on after this one.

Baseball & Apple Pie

2011-07-05T19:27:00.000-07:00

Myron treated us to a great July Fourth game of Texas Rangers baseball at the Ballpark in Arlington on Monday. Despite the sweltering temperatures, the shaded seats for the 7:05 p.m. game were fairly temperate. And the post-game fireworks were spectacular. Score: Rangers 13-4. I think we had something to do with that.

My Cherry Amour

2011-07-03T20:04:00.001-07:00

One doesn't see Strawberry Cherries very often in the stores down here in Texas, but these Washington State babies just showed up at my local Tom Thumb. They are only available in late June and early July and offer 19 to 25 percent fruit sugar -- very sweet. I didn't diddle with the color intensity of this photo at all; they are that rich.

Sweet Repasts

2011-07-01T11:21:00.000-07:00

Dining amid boxes of fine European chocolates and columns of hard, colorful candies is the typical meal at the Neuhaus Cafe near my home. Friends Keith, Rita and I lunched here, as is our usual quarterly custom, this week, and I felt compelled to Instagram the sweets. I had the vegetable sandwich.

The Road to the Past

2011-06-30T12:27:00.000-07:00

My friend Keith, the traveler with the best eye apparently, captured this street scene in Lowell, Ariz., which is now part of the old mining town of Bisbee. This entire street is likely to be destroyed or moved as copper mining operations, given the increasing price of the metal, are likely to start again directly under the town.

Modern Banking

2011-06-29T14:03:00.000-07:00

This is a detail from the Chase Bank on Broadway in Tucson, Ariz., with inset work by sculptor Phillips Sanderson (1908-1987). The bank originally opened in 1971 as Valley National Bank. Sanderson was a noted Works Progress Administration sculptor in Arizona.

Finer Diner

2011-06-29T09:56:00.000-07:00

During our weekend trip to Bisbee, Ariz., we ran across this tiny 12-seat diner from the late 1940s. Dot's Diner, which is part of a "motel" complex of vintage travel trailers, was manufactured by the Valentine Co. of Witchita, Kan., which from the late 1940s to the early 1970s churned out more than 2,000 wee, turn-key roadside diners like this. They were delivered to the sites by flatbed truck. The Kansas Historical Society says a few dozen remain open. Sadly, this one is no longer one of them. The owners closed this past spring, leaving the heavy ceramic coffee cups sitting in formation like little caffeine soldiers on the shelves.

Just Deserts

2011-06-25T11:50:00.001-07:00

We're spending a few days in the Southern Arizona community (population 6,100) of Bisbee, which is an old copper-mining town of the late 1800s that has re-emerged as an artists' community of the 2000s. It's probably not the best time to visit, but we're finding a few tourist gems in the sizzling desert heat.

Other-Worldly Flora

2011-06-20T10:16:00.000-07:00

This alien-looking plant is actually a white, red-tinged cactus that makes up part of the floral installations at NorthPark Mall in Dallas. It's a close-up photograph of a far larger grouping of cactus in the indoor mall's pedestrian ways. I think it resembles under-water coral, just with fewer fish swimming by.

Voter Interest Flagging

2011-06-18T11:25:00.000-07:00

Today is the Dallas mayoral runnoff election, so I trudged over to the local elementary school (That beats voting in a church, thank you.) to cast my ballot. This was the flag fluttering outside the school. I wasn't overly impressed with either candidate, but I voted to guarantee my right to grumble about the outcome.

Tripping the Light, Fantastic

2011-06-18T08:15:00.001-07:00

Sometimes you see unusual shapes and forms when out and about dining, and this weekend's late-night Pinkberry visit was one of those occasions. This is a plastic ceiling lamp that I espied when sampling the fro-yo shop's new salted caramel flavor. And again, Instagram makes it look artful. (Click on it to see the detail.)

Shell Games

2011-06-11T08:44:00.000-07:00

This turtle was among four such creatures (and their mobile homes) that crawled up from the backyard creek to the house next door this week. The city is doing work on the creek drainage, and I think all the activity sent the turtles to higher ground. This one was very inquisitive, or maybe just perturbed that the neighbor had corralled him in a box. I believe it's name is Michelangelo.

These Aren't Lily Pads

2011-06-04T21:26:00.000-07:00

Polished chocolates are something new to me, but I encountered a wide variety of flavors this afternoon during a birthday party gathering at Chocolate Secrets in Oak Lawn. The wine bar-chocolatier offers a wide variety of these gems. At right are the Key Lime Chocolates, but I had a salted caramel chocolate with a nice pinot noir.

Corncob Icons

2011-05-25T21:44:00.001-07:00

My hotel during the recent Windy City stay was right at Wabash and Michigan avenues on the Chicago River, which afforded this view of of Marina City from my window (singular window, as it was a very small room). The two 65-story towers were designed in 1959 by architect Bertrand Goldberg and completed in 1964 for $36 million. Interestingly, the now-condo association in 2007 claimed the copyright on the image and name of the towers. I hope I don't get sued.

Doing the Wave

2011-05-25T21:28:00.001-07:00

I just spent five days for work in Chicago after being away for several years, and I was delighted to encounter this note-worthy building as I walked up to nearby hotel to do an afternoon moderating gig. This 86-story Aqua residential/hotel skyscraper is noteworthy not only for its undulating balconies (I think of Barcelona architect Antoni Gaudi when I see them.), but that fact that it's the tallest in the world to have had a woman, Jeanne Gang, as the lead architect. The intensely concrete, steel and glass structure has a bit of fluid look. Me likey.

Breakfast Aloft

2011-05-17T12:20:00.000-07:00

What happens when your fast breaks:

BSS | Breakfast Interrupted from Bruton Stroube Studios on Vimeo.

Mutant Cheeto Sculpture

2011-05-16T19:53:00.001-07:00

I was dispatched to San Antonio last week to cover a summit on children's school lunch programs, and I had to loiter in the airport a few hours on my way home. I encountered this sparkly gold sculpture in the new concourse that houses American Airlines. It had some interesting angles and provided a nice respite from watching the lines.

Rapture To-Do List

2011-05-15T17:34:00.000-07:00

A few points to keep in mind for May 21's rapture:

Bouncy

2011-05-09T12:42:00.000-07:00

When you slow Jell-O down:

Still Magnolias

2011-05-08T23:10:00.000-07:00

May has brought out the magnolia blossoms, which are perfuming the backyard like a Southern lady doused for a church social. The three biggest Little Gem Magnolia trees, now in their sixth year here at the ranch, are especially prolific with their white, luscious blossoms. The five smaller ones are in a more shaded area and just about to work their magic. I took this photograph of the magnolia seed Saturday afternoon.

Choke Hold

2011-05-05T17:26:00.000-07:00

Artichokes must be in season, as I picked several up for $2 each last night at the grocery. I steamed this one for lunch, scarfing it down with a dipping sauce of olive-oil mayonnaise, capers, lemon juice and chives from the garden. It was even more delicious than the photograph.

Lemon Twist and Shout

2011-04-29T00:27:00.000-07:00

The gin-based Aviator cocktail at Five Sixty.

Go, Man Go

2011-04-27T22:45:00.000-07:00

This Thai Chili Mangotini got my Wednesday night dinner started at Wolfgang Puck's Five Sixty, the restaurant that occupies the rotating 17th floor of Reunion Tower in Dallas. I was meeting with executive chef Pat Robertson. I also sampled the superior "Aviator" cocktail, based on gin, liqueur de violette and maraschino cherry juice -- a drink the color of the late actress Elizabeth Taylor's eyes. The food highlights?: sushi and dim sum assortment of dumplings with a flight of sake.

Mint's The Word

2011-04-24T14:34:00.001-07:00

Here are my Free-Range Mojitos! The big pot of mint on my back patio survived the extraordinary winter very well and is already sending out six-inch shoots of delicious herb. I planted it in a pot, because it tends to overrun anything in its path if planted in the ground. With the warm springtime, it's time to muddle some mint for a mojito. I'm off to search for some rum.

Making Most of Millennials

2011-04-18T20:51:00.000-07:00

One of my recent video interviews, this with Kat Cole, the president of Cinnabon Inc.

Red Rescue

2011-04-17T14:24:00.001-07:00

When the house next door was torn down to make way for the new McMansion, I rescued a bunch of these flower bulbs that explode every spring. I'm not sure exactly what the flower is, but it has spiky green leaves and bursts into blazing red blossoms (similar to an amaryllis) this time of year.