Hattie's Restaurant

418 Bishop Avenue
Dallas, TX 75208

214.942.7499

http://hatties.net/index.html

If you are a member of Gen X or earlier, then you remember the TV sitcom “Cheers” and its theme song which said, “Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name, and you’re always glad you came.” The beer at Cheers was not any colder than anywhere else and the nuts were not any fresher, but none of that was the point. They went there because they wanted to feel a certain way – comfortable and familiar.

That is sort of how I felt after dining at Hattie’s in the Bishop Arts District this past Saturday. The food was just average but the restaurant itself was so full of light and air and simple elegance that I did not want to leave. Hattie’s serves up “fancified” versions of country favorites like catfish and fried chicken. I had pecan-crusted catfish with lemon butter sauce, mashed potatoes, and a veggie medley ($12.95). I ordered low country shrimp with bacon tobasco sauce on a grits cake for my mother ($13.50 I think). Neither of us was impressed with her meal; it was just dressed up country cooking. Still, I would go back because I felt good while I was there. The table cloths and cloth napkins made the experience feel like an indulgence in a world filled with “casual dining” restaurant chains and their booths and paper napkins (I’m looking at you Chili’s).

I know the place seems empty in the pictures, but they were about to close; lunch ends at 2:30pm.

Bob Schieffer's Mother Was Right!

Texas native, Bob Schieffer, ended the last of the 2008 presidential debates with this quotation from his mother, "Go vote now. It will make you feel big and strong."

I just left my early voting location and that's exactly how I feel. I didn't have to wait in line, but there was a steady stream of voters in and out of the library and the voting booths stayed full. It's an exhilarating feeling to exercise the rights that my people fought so hard for. It is both humbling and empowering. I hope I never lose this feeling.

You can vote early through October 31, 2008. For a list of early voting locations click here.

Election day is November 4, 2008.

BE A PART OF THE PROCESS!!!

Update: TX Conference for Women - Houston, TX

My experience with this year's Texas Conference for Women was comme ci comme ca. There were some good seminars (A Brand New, Brand You; Networking - Making Relationships Click). There were some bad seminars (Kicking Your Career Into Gear: An Action Plan for Creating a Worklife that Thrills).

I appreciated that continental breakfast and lunch were included with registration, but was disappointed that there wasn't a vegetarian alternative for lunch. Lunch was a grilled chicken salad with bacon (insensitive on multiple levels).

I liked most of the keynote speakers but didn't like the parade of hosts, sponsors, and city dignitaries I had to suffer through before being able to hear the keynote speakers.

That's what I mean by comme ci comme ca. There was good and bad all day long. Still, if the conference ever comes to my hometown, and all I have to do is wake up and drive to the convention center, then I will be there.

Yes We Can Have the Audacity to Hope that Our Faithful Fathers Put Country First! (or something like that)

No matter how politically conscious I think I am, I am always brought down a peg or two when I step up to the election booth. I start out strong. President/VP, check. U.S. Senator, check. U.S. Congressman (or woman), check. State Representative, check. Then I discover that there are not less than 10 local/state elections that I knew nothing about. Never heard of the offices; never heard of the candidates; don’t know what they are supposed to do in office.

I am trying to do better this year, but learning about all the myriad political offices up for grabs in my state is a daunting task. Fortunately, the Dallas Morning News website makes it easier. I found this lovely page that allows you to enter your address and it shows you all the races for your voting district. It even allows you to compare the positions of the candidates running in each race. Some of the information is incomplete but it is a wonderful place to start your research if you are so inclined.

Tip: Get started soon. If memory serves me correctly, there will be 27 races on the ballot November 4th.

Labels: Getting The Most From This Blog

At the bottom of most of my entries, there is a section called "Labels." As the name implies, it's a collection of words that would be appropriate "labels" for that particular entry. These labels allow the reader (you) to filter entries by subject matter. For example, if the labels section of an entry contains the word "nightlife" you can click on the word "nightlife" and all entries with that label will be dsiplayed regardless of the date they were posted. It makes navigating the blog much much easier.

I spent a lot of time over the weekend retro-labeling 90% of my entries for you; I hope it helps.

Cheers!

Play Date Dallas Part 2

I published my first post on Play Date Dallas September 23, 2008. Check it out for details regarding the Play Date concept. My first impression of Play Date Dallas was lackluster for a number of reasons, but I suspected that Play Date Dallas had potential so I determined to give it another chance. That second chance happened yesterday at Sankofa & Bar. I was not disappointed. I had a good time last night and here's why.

1) Taboo! - Need I say more?

2) A much better venue. My first experience with Play Date Dallas took place at Boston's restaurant. Boston's is a perfectly fine casual dining restaurant but is poorly configured for a night of mixing, mingling, and game playing (see my original post on September 23, 2008). Sankofa had a much better layout that worked well for the Play Date concept. It was easy to move in between tables to check out the action and to find opportunities to join in the fun. It was also easy for groups at adjacent tables to interact with each other. At Boston's, approximately 40% of the seating was high-backed booths which limited interaction.

3) Early arrival time. Play Date events begin at 8pm and end at 2am. If you truly want to play games, mix, and mingle in a low-key setting, arrive no later than 8:30pm and stay no longer than 10:30pm. At 10pm the laid-back vibe fades and the typical "club" vibe and all its usual patrons begin to emerge.

In the end, I am absolutely recommending Play Date Dallas to all who are curious. It is not special because of its novel concept, but because it offers the best of both worlds. If you want to have a good time without the pomp and circumstance of a nightclub, show up early. And if clubbing is still your thing, show up late and all is well.

TIP: Sign up for their e-mail list to receive advance notification of Play Date events. I haven't been spammed so far, but who knows if and/or when they'll sell my e-mail address to the highest bidder.

Action Pics Coming Soon

I'm constantly thinking of new ways to make the blog more dynamic. Adding live pictures from the myriad events I attend should have been obvious to me from the beginning, but I'm kind of slow when it comes to the obvious. The lightbulb over my head has finally clicked on and you can look forward to new pics very soon.

Be advised, my camera is rubbish, but we're in a recession so it will have to do for now. Maybe Santa Claus will bring me one for Christmas. I am also open to any charitable donations you would like to make to the cause.

Cheers!

Obligatory King Tut Post

He is here.

He is awesome.

You must go.

http://dallasmuseumofart.org/Dallas_Museum_of_Art/index.htm

Urban Street Bazaar 10/11/08

I don’t know about you, but I have reached my saturation point where dismal national news is concerned. If life is ending as we know it, then we need to start enjoying the little things like the upcoming Urban Street Bazaar in the Bishop Arts District.

http://www.urbanstreetbazaar.com/

I kind of hate the website because I think it is waaaay too busy, but that’s not the point. The point is that this Saturday from 10am – 8pm, you can escape the troubles of this world (political, financial, and otherwise) and stroll the streets of the Bishop Arts district as you talk and laugh with 40 vendors hawking their handcrafted wares.

The beautiful thing about a flea market (let’s call a spade a spade) is that it hearkens back to a different time when there were no behemoth discount stores stocking mass-produced versions of everything we could think of (I’m looking at you Wal-Mart and in fairness, I have to look at Target as well). Instead, you walked to the market; you shook the artisan’s hand; and you walked away with a one-of-a-kind product. It reminds us that relationships are what really matter in life - not the things we buy, the titles we hold, or the size of our 401Ks. Speaking of newly deflated bank accounts, another great thing about flea markets is that sometimes you can find unique, inexpensive gifts, and considering that I’ve already decided to have a “poor” Christmas this year (no gifts over $25), the Urban Street Bazaar is right up my alley.

Update: The Urban Street Bazaar was great fun. There was jewelry, clothing, personal care products, accessories for your favorite pet, and more. I learned that the Bazaar will happen again in December. Be on the lookout for it. Also, I wandered into a boutique called Indigo 1745 while in the neighborhood. If you're ever in the market for "upscale" denim, they've got some great styles. Ask for Denise; she was friendly and very knowledgable about the inventory and which cuts work best for different body types. You can tell her that I sent you, but she'd probably look at you with a blank stare as the Lady of Leisure remains a woman of mystery to most. Cheers!

Cheap Date Alert #9: FREE Theatre Tickets

If you have spent any time on this blog, then you know that Cheap Dates are one of my favorite things. I like to think of my “cheap date alerts” as my little way of encouraging men to practice the art of wooing women. The art of romance need not require a lot of money. It just takes a little research, a little creativity, and frequent visits to this blog if you live in Dallas.

This year Dallas is participating in Free Night of Theatre 2008. In 2005 Free Night of Theatre started its national campaign to attract new audiences to live theatre and to make theatre accessible to all by offering free tickets to the public. Over 600 theatres are participating throughout the country. Today in Dallas, more than 3000 (absolutely FREE) tickets were made available for reservation at 26 participating theatres throughout the metroplex. Tickets are available for shows October 16 – November 10, 2008. For a complete listing of participating theatres and show times please visit:

http://www.freenightoftheater.net/shows/

Update:
I have failed you, my dear readers. Though I learned of Dallas' Free Night of Theatre days ago, I did not alert you until just now. I thought nothing of this delay as tickets were not made available until 12noon, October 1st (today); however, I just checked the website to reserve my own tickets only to discover that ALL of the shows in Dallas were already "sold out." Apparently, good news travels fast.

The Sky Is Falling! The Sky Is Falling!

At least, that’s the way I’ve been feeling for the last two weeks. Every morning, I wake up to news stories on the radio predicting the collapse of the U.S. economy and life as we know it. Pretty soon, we’ll be rationing rice and rioting in the streets. I hope and pray that what I just typed is pure hyperbole and nothing more, but the last two weeks have me on edge largely because it’s so hard to understand what’s going on. What does it mean when someone says the market lost $850 billion dollars in a single day? How do you interpret the ups and downs of the Dow Jones Industrial Average and what is the Dow Jones Industrial Average anyway? Thankfully, I have found an outstanding resource to educate myself on the nation’s economic crisis. NPR’s money blog is dedicated to providing up to the minute coverage of the nation’s market woes in straight-talk English for those of us who didn’t graduate from the Wharton School of Business or receive doctorates in economics from [insert fancy school name here].

http://www.npr.org/blogs/money

Be sure to check out the September archives section because what you see on the home page is just the tip of the iceberg. There are links to articles from various newspapers and magazines, podcasts from NPR programs, and answers to questions posed by regular Joes and Janes like you and me.

And since this blog is about all-things Dallas, here’s a link to a story on Mayor Leppert’s speech to the Dallas Regional Chamber addressing how Dallas will weather this financial storm (courtesy of Dallas Morning News).

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/100108dnmetleppertspeech.c928393b.html