Every new year people make resolutions to change aspects of themselves they believe are negative. A majority of people revert back to how they were before and feel like failures. This year I challenge you to a new resolution. I challenge you to just be yourself. – Aisha Elderwyn
Have a Happy New Year!!
On my first visit to Smoke, It was amazingly crowded. So crowded that we decided that we did not want to attempt to even go inside. However, now that the smoke has cleared up a little, we decided to give it another try.
Located at the Belmont Hotel in the space formerly occupied by The Cliff, Smoke is the latest venture of Chris Jeffers and Chris Zielke who are also the duo responsible for the Oak Cliff establishment Bolsa. In addition, former Stephan Pyles Chef Tim Byres is at helm, which should set some of the expectations of how the food should be in this place.
Smoke gets the job done. Unlike the “slap yo’ mama” style that is expected with most Texas barbecue, Smoke’s flavor is more generic. The meat is well prepared and the wood-fire flavor subtle. However, yo can definitely smell the smoke from the building – as soon as you arrive and in your clothes after you leave.
We decided, against the waiter’s recommendations to go for BBQ for our dinner, which is on a separate scantron form than the dinner 
menu. The BBQ is served family style so we ordered a little bit of some of the various meats to try. We tried the Beer Can Farm Chicken(meh), Lemon and Sage Brine Turkey Breast, Hot Links, Sweet Paprika and Fennel Seed Sausage, Dry Rubbed Spar Ribs, Andullie Hot Links, BBQ Pinto Beans, Hominy Casserole and Jicama and Cabbage Slaw. For dessert we ordered the pecan pie and the key lime pie.
After ordering we were presented with four separate sauces; House (maple), Tejano (spiciest), Vinegar (for the Carolina Pork) and a mustard horse radish. The waiter explained each of them thoroughly as he popped the top on each of the bottles like a bottle of beer.
Out favorites: Dry Rubbed Spare ribs, Sweet Paprika and Fennel Seed Sausage, Turkey Breast, Hominy Casserole and Jicama, Cabbage Slaw and the Pecan Pie.
Least Favorites: No one at the table like the sauces, the chicken didn’t have much flavor and the piece I had was tough. The BBQ beans almost made one person at the table mad and the Key Lime Pie gave us the biggest laugh at the table.
After leaving the place and having drinks over at the Bar Belmont we had already come up with the nickname “Smoke and Mirrors”. Not because the food was bad but because, we couldn’t figure out if this place was trying to be BBQ joint or not. Judging by the fact that they have two separate menus, I’m not sure that they know either.
Was it good? Sure. Will I come back? Probably just to try the chef inspired menu and not the BBQ.
Texas State Fair
This weekend was the opening weekend for the Texas State Fair. Originally incorporated by a group of Dallas businessmen as the Dallas State Fair & Exposition, the “State Fair” has been in existence since 1886.
Today’s State Fair of Texas offers its visitors a range of exhibits, entertainment and services that are unmatched by any annual exposition in North America.
Big Tex (pictured left) made his debut at the 1952 State Fair of Texas. Wearing size 70 boots and a 75-gallon hat, Tex towered 52′ above wide-eyed visitors. His denim jeans and plaid shirt were donated by the H. D. Lee Company of Shawnee Mission, Kansas. Cosmetic surgery the following year straightened his nose, corrected a lascivious wink and allowed him to talk.
From The Great State Fair of Texas – An Illustrated History, by Nancy Wiley.
The State Fair is open daily, September 25 – October 18, 2009.
Fair Park, Dallas
For more information visit BigTex.com
Located on the north side of Flora Street, in the heart of the Dallas Arts District, the Winspear Opera House will be one of the six venues that will comprise the Dallas Center for the Performing Arts. It is designed as a 21st century reinterpretation of the traditional horseshoe configuration to provide the best possible acoustical environment and will seat 2,200 (with capacity up to 2,300). Groundbreaking was held in October 2006.
Foster and Partners, let by Lord Norman Foster, design the Winspear, made possible by a $42-million gift from Margot and Bill Winspear, and the acoustical design of the opera house has been engineered specifically for the performances for opera and musical theater. In addition the stages are designed and equipped with appropriate flooring for performances of ballet and other forms of dance.
The Winspear Opera House will be the new home of the Dallas Opera, which was previously performed at the Dallas Music Hall at Fair Park and Texas Ballet Theater.
Performances will begin during the Center’s opening week, October 12 – 18, 2009.
For more information visit the Dallas Center for the Performing Arts
