LDD

Hard to make out, but that's an entire dining room, mirrored walls on back. Just let it happen...

No, that's not a picture from inside a kaleidoscope. That's actually from inside a restaurant, one that is bejeweled within an inch of its life in hundreds (perhaps thousands) of strands of lights and tinsel. How festive, you say? Yeah, I took that picture last week.

In what might be called an Arlington "landmark," this unabashedly over-the-top, Tex-Mex den is a like jumping into the spin cycle with crazy. At then end, you're rinsed in melted orange cheese. Trust me. That happens.

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Austin Dill @ instagram

Bottling our homemade #Hurricane Brew w/ @mtenero & emkmd #BringItSandy #HurricationPartI @ Bitter & Esters instagr.am/p/RV6f1YG9cS/

— Austin Dill (@austindill) October 28, 2012

A few hours ago I searched #BringItSandy on Twitter and, at the time, there were about 40 tweets. It's lighting up now though. The kids in the northeast have got their game-face on and are preparing in earnest. When life hands you a hurricane, buy Bud Light. Maybe a princess flashlight and some Sour Patch Kids.

A guy just used wire to tie his propane barbecue pit to his wooden deck... hmm...

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Grotta Palazzese

Remember the other day we were arguing about the insanity of living in a landlocked area at the edge of the desert when the Earth offers billions of miles of beautiful beaches? Don't fact check "billions," but the point is, damn, it's hot. And dry. Native plants are saying, "Fuck it. I'm out." Watering a lawn is just downright depressing (or is that just me).

Well, if you were just having that conversation with yourself again on the commute in to our humble little heat bubble, check out this seaside restaurant in the medieval town of Polignano a Mare, Italy. Just do it. Yes, it's like stabbing the dagger in your belly then twisting it for good measure. Fight pain with more pain.

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Officially, yesterday was National Boss Day. But for most of the working world, any day this week would work for excessive, strategic ass-kissing. If you forgot to get your boss that bottle of liquor, don't sweat it. We've got you covered. Here, our five best ideas for a lunch worthy of any boss.

(Lauren -- great idea for a story, but it's always better to be specific. Instead of "bottle of liquor," let's change to "giant bottle of Jameson." -- Thanks, Joe)

5. SpeedZone. The Parmesan garlic fries at the SpeedZone Café & Bar are the gift that keeps on giving. Follow that up with a few laps on the Slick Trax during which you prove you can dominate more than just a spreadsheet.

(Well, yeah -- it's nice to know your employee can win, but don't you think he should let the boss win? Not that the boss can't win on his own, but, you know. Just to be safe?)

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Abacus

It's Fashion Week, which means lots of impractical clothes clothes on impractically shaped people.

But designers aren't alone in their ability to turn something as functional as clothes into high art. Chefs often do the same with food, as demonstrated by the above dish -- a salad from Abacus -- and the four that follow.

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Photo by Elaine Liner

Dallas Theater Center patrons still fondly remember post-show sweets by former Craft pastry chef Shannon Swindle. This was after a show in 2009. No more goodies in the new Wyly Theatre.

What actor doesn't love a free meal? But it never hurts to give theatergoers a nibble on opening nights, too. In theaters around here, there are some really toothsome reasons to buy tickets (for as little as $10 or $15, depending on the theater) for a production's first performance. Some playhouses ply patrons with huge buffets and glasses of Champagne included in the price of admission. Here's a round-up of upcoming openings and the how the theaters perform the fine art of free eats.

Contemporary Theatre of Dallas, The Blue Moon Dancing, opening August 20. CTD, with its little café tables and straight-back chairs, feels clubby, so it's only natural that owner and leading lady Sue Loncar would throw a good bash on opening night. The typical spread here can include deli trays, hot crab cakes with remoulade sauce, hot bread pudding, layer cakes, cookies, cheeses and chips. Wine and Champagne are poured freely, and when the cast emerges from backstage to join the fun, it suddenly feels like opening night at Sardi's.

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Photo by Akisha Rundquist

Stage West's Dana Schultes and daughter Matilda running the theater's busy bar

Actors tend to know the ins and outs of food service. Table-waiting pays the bills for many a young thesp until that big break comes along. Edie Falco waited tables at a Manhattan steak joint even after making her film debut playing a waitress in Hal Hartley's directorial debut The Unbelievable Truth in 1989.

Fort Worth actor-director Dana Schultes chalked up a bunch of years as a "wactress," as she puts it. Now she draws on that restaurant experience as the menu creator, manager and server at Stage West's charming little Ol' Vic Café.

The 64-seat restaurant in the art-filled lobby of the theater on West Vickery Boulevard served its first dinners when the space opened on Thanksgiving weekend 2007. With kitchen equipment bought from auctions, the Ol' Vic, which still doesn't have an oven, serves light fare, mostly sandwiches, salads and made-from-scratch soups created by Schultes. Dinner service starts at 6:30 p.m., 90 minutes before curtain time on show nights, with a full brunch starting at 1:30 p.m. before the Sunday matinees. There's a hot entrée offered on Thursday nights.

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​ Dallas has a reputation for being a little pretentious. Sorry to step on any toes here, but the city really appreciates fine dining, lavish shopping and upscale living. Most of the time, the ultra-chic lifestyle comes with a high price tag, but if you want to socialize like high society on a middle-class budget, Dish in the eco-friendly Ilume complex on Cedar Springs Road is your new haven.

So does the premium menu match the milieu? In terms of price, no way. But that's the objective of this concept. The ingredients are fresh and simple, reflecting the "green" theme by using local farms and gardens when possible. Rich dishes, like steak and eggs and Harris Ranch 8-ounce burger, don't seem to match the relatively low prices -- with all items priced from $4 to $21.

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Sara Kerens

​While some Midwestern cuisine--like Cincinnati chili--may make a Dallasite gasp, other portions of it, like the chicken pot pie, we've adopted as our own. The same can be said for an Upper Midwestern concept called the supper club--a concept Ocean Prime in Uptown has ripped from its retro recesses and renovated with modern flair.

At first, it sounds like a bunch of old farts chomping on Salisbury steak and playing gin rummy--but that couldn't be further from the truth. "Back in the day, a supper club was the place to be," says Brandon Davis, Ocean Prime general manager. "The vibe was hip, the food was amazing and everyone had the time of their lives."More »