Back Talk Lakewood/East Dallas

Bend it like Bob Schneider

Bend Studio is in the "not too far to go and really very nice once you get there" category of music venues. It's on McKinney, but north of Knox-Henderson, past where McKinney splits and becomes a two-way street again. It's a jump across Central from the M-streets, so I'm going to stretch and say it's the best place  we have in sortof-East Dallas to hear bands. Specializing in acoustic music, Bend's cool factor is that it is a yoga studio by day and a music venue at night. Here's the summer's calendar:

TONIGHT! Charlie Sexton, Thursday, May 31st   

Spoken-word artist Darden Smith, Saturday, June 9th

Indie-folk acoustic wonders out of Canada: Great Lake Swimmers, Sunday, June 17th

The lovely Doug Burr (folk) opening for Rod Picott and Amanda Shires, Saturday, June 23rd

KERA host of 90.1 At Night, Paul Slavens brings his band Ten Hands with comedian Dave Little, Saturday, July 21st.

In case you're wondering about the kick-back I get from owner Ally David for mentioning her studio, it's zero. Not even admission, though they are very nice to me when I go to a show. This is the perfect place for a moms-night-out or a grown-up evening. No drunk people, no smoking, and home by 11pm. The room is "warm"; the wood floors and low ceilings make for perfect acoustics. You can BYOB your beer or wine, and you'll actually hear the artists playing: you'll get shushed if you talk over them. While not exactly the place to try out new artists, Bend is amazing for getting you up close and intimate, as they say, with those you love. I've seen Cary Pierce (Jackopierce), Rhett Miller (Old 97s), Salim Nourallah, Ian Moore and others here and the experience is one-on-one. For newer artists, the audience's undivided attention can be a bit overwhelming, but for seasoned touring musicians, it's a breath of patchouli-scented air that gives them wings.

Wear good socks (you'll need to take your shoes off to protect the bamboo floor) and BYOB something sophisticated, and Bend after dinner on McKinney is a wonderful evening of intimate listening.

 

Bad restaurant reviews can be costly

Every wonder why you see so few bad reviews of Dallas-area restaurants? It's because the restaurants can be quite vindictive. Consider this, from the current issue of the Observer:

"Guess we pissed off N9NE Group, progenitors of Ghostbar, N9NE Steak House and Nove Italiano plus the upcoming lounge Liquid Sky. Nove's chef refused to give us details on some of the preparations for the Nove review in this issue. They won't let us take pictures of the Nove salami. Seems it's all because of the cover story detailing the great beneficence of Ghostbar atop the W Hotel by Andrea Grimes ("What a VIP Off," March 22) plus "additional remarks and mentions throughout the course of a year by various writers" at the Dallas Observer. More succinctly: "In response to the negative coverage published by [the] Dallas Observer, The N9NE Group has decided not to advertise in or assist [the] Observer in additional reporting of its venues."

Wish I knew how to be that snotty. But then again, I don't charge $25 for a hamburger.

That's right, the mayor's race isn't over yet

Forgive me if I lose attention during the run up to the runoff, but trying to pick between The Construction Magnate and the Trinity Toll Road Cheerleader is like picking between a broken arm and a broken leg. (Which means I'll have to agree to disagree with Back Talk pal Mike Davis.)

Yesterday, Tom Leppert said the mayor didn't have the authority to tear down crime ridden apartment buildings, which is one of Ed Oakley's campaign pledges. No kidding. Just like the mayor doesn't have the authority to meddle with the Dallas schools? (A friend of mine, who works for the DISD and is a native Texan, noted that Leppert is obviously not from here. Otherwise, he would know that that the Independent in DISD is there to stop municipalities from interfering with the way the schools are run.)

Can I write in Marvin Crenshaw on June 16?

New (old) name, same cafeteria tradition

Gone is the pink formica, replaced by hunter green decor and dark wood. There are a few other aesthetic tweaks and changes, but overall, owner Jeff Snoyer is staying true to the longstanding tradition of the Highland Park Cafeteria, which opens tomorrow in what used to be the Casa Linda Cafeteria at Buckner and Garland.

Being a fairly new Dallasite, I didn't know that Highland Park Cafeteria is actually a return to the restaurant's original name — it was one of the franchises of the first Highland Park Cafeteria on Knox Street. When the company sold, part of the bargaining included a name change (it was a family business, Snoyer explained to me), but many of the Knox Street employees went over to the Casa Linda location. Councilman Gary Griffith says his phone lit up on the day this past January that patrons found a handwritten note on the door, telling them the restaurant was closed. (It was also one of Back Talk's most popular blog posts, with Advocate readers bemoaning its demise.) Luckily, Snoyer bought the place updated it, obtained the rights to its original name, and has sworn to take it back to its roots. He even rehired some of the employees who were around before the Casa Linda name change and have been with the cafeteria as long as 40 years.

Snoyer's first attempt to reach out to our neighborhood was an opening reception today, to which many nearby residents were invited. He was kind enough to include the Advocate on that list, and we greatly enjoyed the squash casserole and muffins we've heard so much about. The restaurant officially opens for business tomorrow, and it's rumored that mayoral candidate Tom Leppert will be dining.

One thing I couldn't figure out, and didn't have a chance to ask about: A sign at the front of the line asked "Where are the presidents?" followed with an explanation that the restaurant is "attempting to locate and purchase the original set or a reasonable facsimile thereof." What is that referring to? If you know, post it here, and if you have information, call the restaurant at 214.324.5000.

What happened to Gachet?

Does anyone know what happened to Gachet? Siegel...you are on the clock......

Campisi's on TV - Not what you think

The Campisi's will be featured on a new reality TV show on E!. Apparently the show will be about "Wildest Party Parents" and will feature Corky Campisi - father of Playboy Playmate Amber.

It is set to air Friday at 9:30 p.m.

Watch at your own risk!

You know all those grocery stores we used to have?

One of the most popular threads here at Back Talk concerns grocery stores:  Which ones are around, which ones will stay around and which ones will come into the neighborhood. So I asked a friend of mine, who does this sort of analysis for a living, what he thought of our current situation -- the difficulty Albertson's is having in Dallas-Fort Worth, Minyard's all but gone, Safeway trying to resurrect Tom Thumb, chains that have failed like Winn-Dixie and Food Lion, and Wal-Mart increasing its presence almost daily.

He has to remain anonymous, since he gets paid by clients to make these forecasts and I don't want him to get in any trouble. But what he says is very revealing.

"It looks like this is a scenario that could play out in a lot of markets with a new Big 2 -- Wal-Mart and Kroger or Safeway and/or a strong regional player like HEB/Central Market, a strong club format -- COSTCO or Sam's -- and specialty formats like Trader Joe's and Whole Foods showing strong growth. A wild card is how well Target is able to grow its Supercenter format. I think it will be difficult for multiple traditional grocery retailers to prosper in the same market in the future. Long term, there probably won't be more than two with significant share per market."

None of which is good news for Alberton's.

Great meal at Tony's Pizza and Pasta

My daughter had a few friends over for a slumber party Saturday night. She wanted to go to Tony's Pizza, at Northwest Highway and Ferndale,  which she had been to many times, but I had never been. The food was good and the atmosphere was very family friendly. The meals are all about $5-$7 each and the value just cannot be beat. Lot's of people at other tables had the pizza but I opted for the lasagna which was very good. The place is BYOB and the servings sizes are generous. The waitresses were high school aged and did a very good job. Take out also seemed to be a very big part of their business.

TIP - If you are in a large group or a loud family full of kids, ask to go to the back room. There, your kids can be as loud as they want without disturbing others.

Also, I am a married to an Italian. She also approved.

Coyotes attack!

Twice in the last month cats have been killed and eaten, apparently by coyotes. We live just north of Mockingbird between Abrams and Skillman (south of the Dart rail) in Caruth Terrace. They (there were 2) were spotted in our area about 6 weeks ago and since then have obviously remained close. We have now been vigilant and lock up our dog at night inside the house since the last attack was just a few houses away. Not sure what else we can do but wait for them to move on to more fertile pastures in another neighborhood.

When did gas pumps start talking?

As far as I know, this is not a neighborhood issue. Yet. Sunday I put gas in my car at a Chevron at the Preston/Northwest Highway intersection. The station, it appeared,  had been recently updated. Immediately after I started the pump, a speaker on the pump began blaring radio-type commercials at me. Not the "Come inside and buy a drink" or "Clean your engine with Techron" type-thing, but third party commercials for companies unassociated with the oil company. Clearly a new income stream for the station even though  I was already paying a premium for the gas.

I know I'm cranky (I'm still mad that we have commercials on paid cable tv. That's not what was promised when cable tv was new and trying to grow) but now I can't even pump expensive, premium priced gas in relative peace?

I'd love to know if anyone has seen this new technology installed east of Central. I want to make sure I don't turn in there.