Can the opening of an Italian food mecca spur a Renaissance? After this year, we could use one and the opening of Eataly, a 46,000 square-foot temple of Italian food, might launch a rebirth that will enlighten the remainder of 2020 and illuminate 2021 and beyond. From the birthplace of ballet, banking and batteries comes...Read More

It’s been 19 months since Eataly Dallas opened. I checked my credit card, and, in those 19 months, I’ve spent close to $5,000 there. How? It was easy. The truth is, I love the place. If you’ve traveled to Italy, you likely hang on to memories of the pizza you ate at a tiny restaurant at the...Read More

When she was 30, Franchesca Nor had her first baby, an aqua, navy, and seafoam progeny named Dive Coastal Cuisine. Her son, Archer James, was born in 2016. Both have matured and evolved; nourished the body, soul, and heart; and given back. Dive continues to be a restaurant phenom, serving fresh, sustainable, non-GMO, organic salads, seafood,...Read More

Today, February 6 is New Zealand Day and to celebrate, let’s talk about the first New Zealand-inspired restaurant in Dallas: Quarter Acre.  The restaurant is led by Chef Toby Archibald, himself a Kiwi with almost two decades of cooking in acclaimed restaurants, including Café Boulud, Bullion, and most recently as the Chef du Cuisine of...Read More

The big food news of the week is that the iconic subterranean steak house, Dakota’s, is opening to the public Monday, Sept. 13.  The restaurant hosted a media preview Thursday and it was sublime. I LOVED it – every single element of the experience. From the live piano tunes that smoothed the transition from hot,...Read More

April in Paris, chestnuts in blossom Holiday tables under the trees April in Paris, this is a feeling That no one can ever reprise   -Yip Harberg  If you can’t make it to Paris in April, the next best thing might just be to visit Parigi, the Oak Lawn Avenue restaurant named after the City of Light. Parigi, the...Read More

I don’t know who needs to hear this, but you don’t need to wear matching shirts to have a great girls’ trip. Nor do you have to be celebrating an impending marriage or birthday.  You can and should plan a girls’ trip because it’s medically proven that fun and friendships are good for your body...Read More

Some of my earliest food memories are of my father making gumbo in a big, black cast-iron Dutch oven with me observing unsafely from a chair while he patiently stirred the roux until it turned the shade of a dice-shaped Kraft caramel. The smell and sound of the “Holy Trinity” of onions, celery, and green...Read More

“Looking for recommendations for a girls’ trip!” “Taking hubby away for a long weekend, suggestions?” “Need a fun weekend getaway less than three hours by air.” They’re all over Preston Hollow and Park Cities neighborhood Facebook groups; requests for recommendations for girls’ trips, weekend getaways with the hubby, and easy family trips. Oh, and spring...Read More

Pimento cheese and palmetto trees, cobblestone streets and charming, colorful architecture are hallmarks of Charleston. Ranked by Travel + Leisure magazine 10 years running as America’s favorite city, Charleston is rich in history and contemporary attractions. Like many of you, I have been to Charleston to partake in fresh oysters, sweat through walking tours of downtown, and...Read More