Outdoor cooking season is here and a recent article in The New York Times lists a compelling reason for cooking with gas. While charcoal will always be king for the grill, using a gas burner to heat up your frying oil outdoors makes a lot of sense.

Deep frying inside can be a really big bummer. Oil particles collect on every surface of your kitchen, and if you indulge too much, your house will smell like a fast food restaurant. Moving the operations outdoors will save your home from off-putting smells, and outdoor burners are capable of firing up really big pans. Ever wanted to host a really big fried chicken party? Now's your chance.

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The unofficial start of summer is here, and the three-day weekend promises smoldering grills, coolers full of beer, and if you stumble over to 20 Feet this weekend quick enough, the first of this season's soft-shell crabs. Let's get this week wrapped up.

This week I reviewed Lark on the Park and gave it two enthusiastic thumbs up. Not really, we don't do that here, but there's lots to praise at this new restaurant that flanks Klyde Warren Park. Stop in for a beer, and I bet you'll decide to stay for a bite.

Elsewhere in CoA we swilled some Till and Toil, sipped some terrible tea and opined on the golden age of Texas barbecue.

We also confirmed that Dallas will never, ever eat bugs.

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Busy week in Dallas dining news. I'll cut to the chase and get right to it.

This week I wrote about Craft and Growler, the beer filling station that's become a hub for local craft beer enthusiasts. If you're looking to explore the exploding local beer scene here in Dallas, C&G is a good place to do it.

Elsewhere on CoA, we ate a lot of nachos, and took a look at ballpark nachos, which got started at a Texas Rangers baseball game.

The raw milk bill died, so you'll have to keep driving to your family farm if you want to buy farm fresh milk. And Nosh Bistro in Plano suffered a similar fate (died, that is). Meanwhile, the BBQ Posse picked a fight with the BBQ Snob Daniel Vaughn.

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We had a busy week at the CoA. Scott Reitz endured some bad karaoke at Pop Diner at in Uptown. No matter what the T-shirts may say, pulling off good food is sometimes easier said then done. Unless you're drunk, then who cares? Exactly ...

We covered some solid Cinco de Mayo festivities and 10 happy hour options, if it's five o'clock wherever you are. Alice Laussade joined us for a little placenta recipe exchange, for which we will be forever grateful. And certainly never forget. She also took a poll and decided that May is most definitely Barbecue Month.

LDD discovered a charming little kolache shop in Brooklyn where Texans hang out to reminisce. They also had a little fundraiser for West last weekend.

There were some pretty amazing restaurant openings in May, which Catherine Downes has wrapped up here. Mot Hai Ba, Cane Rosso White Rock, Slow Bone, and another Pearl Cup. May is the month to beat, all you other lame months.

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Catherine Downes

I think this might be the best spring I have ever encountered. There have been a few cold snaps here and there, but I find them invigorating. And these sunny days that are mixed in here and there are amazing. It's great weather for a vacation, which I intend to indulge in shortly after publishing this post. So let's get this week wrapped up.

This week we ran a feature on the Dallas Farmers Market. I dove into the politics that have shaped the downtown market for decades, while pointing out how onerous regulations are stifling the smaller neighborhood markets. It's out there in those news boxes all over town if you prefer to do things the old fashioned way. Just look for the physically abused avocado.

I also reviewed Urbano Café. The restaurant employed a chef Kevin Top almost two months ago, and he's bringing all sorts of new flavors to this neighborhood Italian restaurant.

Elsewhere on CoA we found a rolling party in Cowtown, tried to score a few free hot dogs, and said hello to the newly opened Mot Hai Ba.

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Not lettuce, but still delicious

So cheese week happened. We've filled City of Ate with so much cheese news we looked like a full -on cheese blog. Even ol' Lee Harvey up in the header there is eating cheese.

This week we ran a porny slide show devoted to some of the better cheese boards in Dallas instead of running a traditional restaurant review. There are some seriously seductive pictures here, so you won't want to miss it.

Elsewhere on CoA we posted some tips on navigating your favorite cheese shop, profiled an extra stinky specimen, and wrote up a guide to help you determine when to eat that smelly wrinkly rind and when to skip it.

We also talked to some local cheese makers including Paula Lambert, Dave Eagle and Anne and Johnny Jones, who started the Latte Da Dairy.

And before you call us cheese snobs you should note we wrote about seven of the most questionable cheese products around and actually ate something from Taco Casa.

Oh yeah, and Snuffer's exploded.

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Swiss chard from the Texas Worm Ranch

There is so much good stuff on CoA this week I'm having trouble figuring out how to wrap it all up. We're going to need some grade A, organic jumbo lettuce leaves to get this all taken care of, but I promise it's worth it. Have a look for yourself.

This week I reviewed Bowl & Barrel, a Park Lane bowling alley that left me with mixed emotions. Commenters on the review were less conflicted. They were not fans.

Elsewhere on CoA I cooked up some Swiss chard from last weekend's White Rock Local Market and also looked forward to this weekend's chef demos. The weather is going to be perfect for some outdoor shopping

Jaime-Paul Falcon visited the Shiner Brewery and liked it. And Jesse Hughey reported on last weekend's Big Texas Beer Fest. He liked that, too.

You guys smell something? Maybe it's the new BBQ joint in the Design District. Apparently Alice approves.

And the Dallas chapter of Slow Food has a new person in charge. You should read Lauren's interview with Liz Goulding. She's got some great ideas for the group.

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Little baby lettuces from Weather Top Farms at the Coppell Farmers Market

I hope you're planning on having a nice weekend. Baseball is back, and the weather looks stellar. It's definitely a great week to check out your local farmers market. But before you head out, you know the drill -- it's wrap up time.

This week I reviewed Ascension, the chic coffee house that's been gracing the Design District with some designer coffee. If you haven't had the chance to check out the space, they've got a great patio. Just sayin'. In other coffee news, I met a drink called the Fracker Bomb at Mudsmith in East Dallas. The marriage of espresso and sweet, rich stout is something I can really get behind.

Elsewhere on CoA we check out the buy a friend a beer board at The Libertine Bar. My name has yet to be added to that list, but I remain hopeful.

We also marked a new state pie, called for the defense of raw milk, and sadly, said goodbye to a notable chef who has graced the Dallas restaurant scene with heartfelt, authentic farm to table cooking. Randall Copeland will certainly be missed.

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Fresh greens for sale at the Coppell Farmers Market

I know it's been pretty chilly and gray out there, but I can assure you, the lettuce and asparagus and spring onions are all celebrating the coming season. If you don't have plans to visit a farmers market, you should make them. Don't shut down your computer yet though. We've got some things to wrap up first.

This week I reviewed 20 Feet, the sexed-up Long John Silver's opened in East Dallas by Marc Cassel and his wife, Susan Fries. If you're a fan of good fish and chips, or a fan of seafood in general, this is a place you need to try out.

Elsewhere on CoA, we marked the opening of Victoria's Mexican Grill in Oak Cliff, and a second location of The Social House. This one's right on Routh Street.

We also watched the defeat of another one of Alice's boxes, had dinner with Joel Salatin, the notable activist/farmer featured on Food Inc., and dug up some great patios to take in opening day this weekend.

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It's Friday if you haven't noticed. Hopefully you have some weekend plans? If you're still looking be sure to check out Lauren's events guide, but don't run out the door just yet.

Let's wrap this week up, first.

This week I reviewed Joyce and Gigi's, the new South American restaurant in East Dallas that's turning a lot of heads. Stop in for a great steak and be sure to check out their impressive cocktails.

Elsewhere on CoA we talked to Daniel Vaughn, the newly minted Barbecue Editor at Texas Monthly and Alice Laussade was nominated for her second James Beard Award.

We also declared our wine independence, and made some candied bacon. And because a week at CoA, without some alcohol is no week at all, we talked craft beer and checked in on Smyth, the new speakeasy in Uptown.

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