I flew in from L.A. Friday night and was pretty useless Saturday. Saturday night we went to Horne and Dekker with Howard and Lisa, and also ran into our super-cute neighbors, Val and Jenni. Horne and Dekker’s blue cheese potato chips are pictured above.
Sunday was a full-on day of cleaning and gardening, followed by champagne in the pool. Now Les is making tandoori chicken and home-made grilled naan. Three days until London!
Les had a little birthday cake before we headed to Lawry’s for prime rib and yorkshire pudding with Stephanie, Patty and Chet. I tried to take pics but pink prime rib just looks disturbing in photographs. Dinner was great, the birthday week is complete, and hopefully the iPad will ship shortly!
Spent my birthday in California…one of the stores got me this lovely cake. But the big celebration will be this weekend… two nights at the Palomar, Friday night dinner with friends, Saturday morning girl time at the hotels’ spa – Exhale and Saturday night dinner with Les at Central 214 – the hotel’s very popular restaurant. And we’re bringing Izzy! Yay. The Palomar is very dog-friendly: they give you a dog bed and little dog bowls. So cute!
Bleh. We finished the day with an underwhelming meal at Dallas Chop House. It started promisingly as the chef, Kenny Mills, saw us come in and invited back to the much-publicized Himalayan salt-lined meat cooler. Neat. But our server was as nervous as a high school boy on a first date. And the food was uneven. Popovers and sides like Crawfish Maque Choux were unbelievably good. But other sides were so coated in salt that they were almost inedible. The steaks were good though.
The nail in the coffin however, was when one of the owners stopped by and asked us how everything was. We replied that dinner was good, although somethings were way too salty. He went, “Uh huh”, and walked away! So rude. I can forgive a new restaurant that is still getting its legs under it, but rudeness and bad service are killers. Dallas Chop House is probably the 10th steak house to open in Dallas recently. And their location is “re-gentrifying”. Better step it up boys.
After a yummy dinner at Smoke with Chet, Patty, Geoff, Steph, Cole and Frank, we checked out the show at Haley Henman Gallery. Saw lots of people that we know from the ‘hood. The photo above is our friend Starkey and her girlfriend walking past some of my pics. Nice evening. Tomorrow… off to San Saba
The remnants of our crab leg dinner at Pappadeaux Saturday night. Things you can’t see: the two Hurricanes, the calamari, the pasta and the fried fish platter. Oof.
Sunday we went to the Oak Cliff Mardi Gras Parade (see above) And then to our friend’s house for the Super Bowl. They have a movie theater. In their house. They are Les’ favorite friends. 
Friday night: Eno’s Pizza Tavern
Saturday morning: Massage at Exhale followed by shopping at Central Market
Saturday night we went to Howard and Lisa’s with two other couples and had a great meal and a game of Balderdash. Just FYI, Leona Lax did NOT invent Ex-lax. The above pre-dinner photo was taken with my iPhone and given the “1974″ filter using the Camerabag app.
Today…. who knows? It’s freaking cold here and I might just sit by the fire all day!
Urbano Cafe is like some secret underground supper club. Bare bones space with an anonymous store front next to Jimmy’s Food Store. But the food is out of this world. BYOB, if you’re into that kind of thing….
We went last night with Janet and David. Only ten tables and the acoustics were terrible so we were screaming our heads off at each other. But, in general, a lovely evening. I had scallops and broccolini. But I had tastes of pork sliders, shrimp, smoked gouda mac and cheese and the mussels. All delish.
Really, what else needs to be said. Elvis Night at El Ranchito with Les and Geoff
