All photos LDD

"Gather ye rosebuds while ye may," wrote Herrick.

Or eat. We sort of like eating more than gardening to celebrate the beginning, or ending, of any season. And, if you've made it out to the Ballpark in Arlington for some springtime baseball, you've certainly had plenty to keep you busy. The Rangers spent their offseason rounding out their menu options. Girth was the strategy.

I like the use of buckets here at the Ballpark this season. It's like, "Hey, we're going for it all. No holds barred." Who are we kidding though: when are we getting troughs?

Here are our five favorite culinary gut bombs, including the darling above: a bucket full of potato chips topped with bacon, cheese, sour cream and chives known adoringly as the Bases Loaded.

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Catherine Downes

The LOT (7530 E. Grand Ave.), located off the Santa Fe Trail in the enormous space that once housed the Backyard Beach Bar, opens its doors to the public today.

The East Dallas restaurant and beer garden is the product of some serious teamwork; restauranteur John McBride (El Fenix), food consultant Sharon Hage and designer Hatsumi Kuzuu (Tei An, FT33 and Sissy's Southern Kitchen & Bar) have joined forces on the culinary project. The LOT boasts a spacious dining room and bar and an equally large outdoor patio; the pool that once occupied the Backyard Beach Bar's has been filled in with gravel and lined with wooden picnic tables and canopies. The backyard is home to two sand-filled playgrounds; one for kids and another for adults (who are young at heart and/or have taken serious advantage of the beer garden).

The menu spans a wide variety of fare, most of which falls in the $7-$10 range and includes everything from cayenne fried cauliflower with buttermilk dip ($6), catfish tacos ($8), a turkey meatloaf sandwich served on sourdough with white cheddar, peppered bacon and mayo ($9) and a pulled chicken sandwich ($12). There is also a juice bar serving seasonal juices for $6 each (spirits can be added for an additional $2). Other libations include the Lakewood lemonade (Maker's Mark, lemonade, ginger and mint for $7), East Dallas iced tea (Captain Morgan spiced rum, peach schnapps and house-brewed iced tea for $7) and the White Rock martini (Pinnacle berry vodka, triple sec and cranberry juice).

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Photos by Catherine Downes

In honor of tomorrow's holiday I put together a slideshow of some seriously sexy and photogenic Valentine's Day dinner options around town. The gallery includes shots of bacon-wrapped jumbo Panama shrimp, brushed with cherry mustard and served on a bed orzo pasta with carrot greens at DISH; an ugly pug chocolate cake overflowing with streams of chantilly cream at Central 214; a pan-fried jumbo prawn served on a bed of forbidden rice and yellow curry at Shinsei, and more.

You can check out the full slideshow here.

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Photos by Catherine Downes

Who killed Twinkie the Kid?

In this week's news feature, Observer staff writer Brantley Hargrove takes an in-depth look at the demise of Irving-based snack food company Hostess. The photos that accompany the story feature Hostess products strategically places in CSI-type scenarios. Below are a few of my favorite photos from the shoot. Also, make sure to check out the full behind-the-scenes slideshow, here.

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Photos by Catherine Downes

Thai Express, once located on Inwood Road, received a facelift, a name change and was relocated to its new home on Oak Lawn late last year. Si Lom Thai Asian Fusion has been open in the quiet basement suite at 3300 Oak Lawn Ave. (that once housed Daniele Osteria and more recently, d'Carlo) since November. The restaurant is practically hidden underneath white concrete, only visible from the bright orange sign that hangs on the wall underneath Goody Goody. The space is warm; tangerine booths line the walls, small vases holding fresh cut flowers are strategically placed on each table and Thai-themed decor is scattered throughout. The menu offers a variety of appetizers, noodle dishes, fried rice, curries, soups and entrees that range from $5 to $18, as well as specialty cocktails.

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Photos by Catherine Downes

When our web editor, Nick Rallo, asked me to put together a list of the best food photos I took this year I jumped on the opportunity. "Piece of cake!" I said to him, or maybe that was in my head, but either way I was stoked. I didn't realize how difficult the task of narrowing down my selection would be until I started sifting through old blog posts, slideshows and print stories. This was a year of some serious food porn. Between all the restaurant openings, local culinary flare and slideshows drenched in cheese, my options seemed limitless, but somehow, while salivating all over my monitor (it was right before lunch), I chose my 10 favorite food shots of the year.

Pictured above: Pumpkin risotto topped with a Southern fried egg, currants and pepitas at Max's Wine Dive.

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Catherine Downes

Look, up ahead! There's bacon in them thur mac and cheese.

First thing's first: If you're sick of the phrase food porn, or screaming-mad from the plethora of dense, decadent, NSFW photos of burgers with steamy cheese and fluffy doughnuts lightly dusted with cinnamon-sugar, then please for the love of Jesus turn away. This post is not for you.

Well, hey, welcome, food porn lovers! Good to see you. We have a treat for you. We tore through the monkey bread of our slideshows to find the best, most sexually enticing food photos. Inside, you'll find steam pouring from pork shoulder, cheddar melting on potatoes and sherbet-engorged Oreos. Let's dive right in to our favorite photos from 2012, shall we?

See also: The Year in Food Porn

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Photos by Catherine Downes

This little cake ball is decked out for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Tu-Lu's Gluten Free Bakery opened its second Dallas location in the West Village on Thursday. The tiny, bubblegum-pink bakery serves up loads of gluten-free treats from cupcakes and cake balls to coffee cake, quiche and even paninis. We stopped in for a quick peek and snapped some photos of the baked goods.

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Photos by Catherine Downes

Sisu, located in an old house at 2508 Maple Ave. (just north of McKinney Avenue), is Uptown's latest culinary and nightlife addition. The house-turned-restaurant and bar has been completely renovated; dark wood spans the first and second floors, stark white walls are contrasted by magenta accents, and at times the smell of fresh wood can be detected before it's swept away by the aroma of food or a diner's designer fragrance.

See also:
- Sēr, the New Steakhouse to Replace Nana, is Open

Three bars are scattered throughout, one in the main dining area, another upstairs in the VIP section and the third is on the patio, next to the pool (yes, there is a pool). The bar offers a plentiful selection of beer and wine (there are more than 25 bottles of wine to choose from) and boasts a cocktail menu with drinks like the habanero prickly pear margarita, raspberry mojito and ginger bourbon.

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All photos by foodbitch

DallasChocolate.org bar and the almond truffles behind it by CocoAndrè

On Saturday, Dallas was rainy and dank, but inside the Addison Conference Center it was Chocolate Christmas. DallasChocolate.org's annual Chocolate Conference & Festival offered the opportunity for chocolate makers both local and otherwise to showcase their chocolatey wares, and for anybody with a $20 to take it all in.

See also:
- Chocoholics Beware: The Chocolate Conference & Festival Comes to Town this Saturday

Couldn't make it out from beneath your cozy comforter on Saturday? Here's a calorie-free tour de chocolat. Enjoy, with our compliments.

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