Weekend Road Tripper

Jorge's Tex-Mex - One Arts Plaza - Downtown Dallas

2010-08-27T17:47:00Z

I'm embarrassed to admit this but I had no idea how cool the Arts District in downtown Dallas is. There's been so much growth in that area lately and I really haven't kept up. RJ and I had heard about Jorge's downtown but didn't know for sure where it was located so we set off last weekend to find it. Turns out it's in One Arts Plaza. Now, I HAVE heard of that - I listen to WRR on the radio and know they broadcast some of their noontime shows from there. I see why. It's a beautiful area and there are several other restaurants occupying One Arts Plaza besides Jorge's. I'm sure the businesses around keep them filled at lunchtime and the goings on in the Arts District and the apartments & lofts close by top them off at night. The plaza itself has a gorgeous fountain. All the eateries have patio dining. Jorge's has a very ample outside dining area, with plenty of umbrellas and mister fans, in case you want to venture down there now.
	Inside, Jorge's is very nice - lots of classy, dark wood, lots of cherubs and angels (I don't know the significance of them but they are everywhere & pretty) and a good-sized bar. We opted to eat indoors - even though we were there early for breakfast, it was already a scorcher. Jorge's serves breakfast all day but they do open at 10am on Sundays and have a nice selection of egg dishes- Huevos Rancheros, Huevos a la Mexicana, Breakfast Tacos, etc. RJ chose Huevos Ranchos, pictured here - delicious, delicate eggs, sunny side up, placed on a corn tortilla and topped with a yummy red salsa.
All breakfast dishes come with beans, terrific potatoes sauteed with peppers and onions and crowned with a couple of pieces of bacon, and warm tortillas. I spotted Huevos Montados on the menu- described as 'flat enchiladas with two eggs on top". Sounded interesting. It was outstanding and I highly recommend it. The eggs were sunny side up and layered on corn tortillas with chile con carne. It was one of the best breakfast dishes I had anywhere. I also eyed something else that peaked my curiosity - boiled Mexican coffee....I HAD to try it and it was absolutely wonderful - very smooth with a slight hint of cinnamon and very authentic tasting.
	If you are downtown and ready for some fine eating, check out Jorge's. We'll be going back soon and we'll also be trying the other restaurants at One Arts Plaza too! Jorge's Tex-Mex Downtown Dallas 1722 Routh Street One Arts Plaza Dallas Tx 214-270-2211 Visit Jorges Tex-Mex web site

Perot Museum of Nature & Science Community Open House, August 28th

2010-08-26T15:00:00Z

The Museum of Nature & Science invites you to drop by between 1 - 3pm to see the latest developments in the building model, building and exhibit designs, and renderings for the future Perot Museum of Nature & Science at Victory Park.

Museum Construction Center at Victory Park
1155 Broom Street, Dallas, Texas
(future site of the Museum)

Perot Museum of Nature & Science
Community Open House
Saturday, August 28, 2010
1-3pm

Parking available across Broom Street under Woodall Rodgers Fwy.

For more information, visit: http://www.natureandscience.org/expansion/default.asp

Calendar of Events - October 2010

2010-08-26T14:58:00Z

Oct. 1, 2020 - Shakira (Dallas, TX)
American Airlines Center 214-221-8326

Oct. 2, 2010 – 6th Annual Plano International Festival (Plano, TX)
www.planointernationalfestival.org

Oct. 8, 2010 - Fall Indie Fest (Grand Prairie, TX)
Uptown Theater 972-237-8786

Oct. 8, 2010- Sugarland (Dallas, TX)
Superpages.com Center 214-421-1111

Oct. 9, 2010 - 9th Annual Pottery in the Park (Fort Worth, TX)
Lockheed Martin Recreation Association 817-732-7731

Oct. 9, 2010 - Carrie Underwood (Dallas, TX)
American Airlines Center 214-221-8326

Oct. 16, 2010 - Jon Anderson (Dallas, TX)
Former Yes lead vocalist Jon Anderson performs live. 214-793-3370

Oct. 16, 2010- Pirate Days of Texas (The Colony, TX)
Stewart Creek Park 972-625-1240

Oct. 22, 2010 - Boo at the Zoo (Fort Worth, TX)
The Zoo's 19th annual Halloween festival is all new! Boo at the Zoo will be held from noon to 5 p.m. over two consecutive weekends: Friday, October 22 — Sunday, October 24 and Friday, October 29 — Sunday, October 31. http://www.fortworthzoo.org/

Oct. 23, 2010 - Fall Festival in the Japanese Garden (Fort Worth, TX)
Fort Worth Botanic Garden and Conservatory 817-871-7686

Oct. 24, 2010 - Vicente Fernandez & Paquita La Del Barrio (Dallas, TX)
American Airlines Center 214-221-8326

Oct. 29, 2010 - Anna Bolena (Dallas, TX)
Winspear Opera House 214-443-1000

Oct. 30, 2010 - Fort Worth Alliance Air Show (Fort Worth, TX)
Featuring The US Navy Blue Angels, the US Air Force F-22 Raptor and the US Army Golden Knights.
Alliance Airport 817-890-1000

Oct. 30, 2010 - Trek or Treat at Watters Creek (Allen, TX)
Watters Creek Shopping Center 214-339-7867

Oct. 31, 2010 - Symphonic Spooktacular (Dallas, TX)
http://www.dallassymphony.com/Ticket/ProductionDetail.aspx?perf=18017&selected=813

Calendar of Events - September 2010

2010-08-26T14:53:00Z

Sept. 1, 2010 - The Music of Michael Jackson - Morton Meyerson Symphony Center (Dallas, TX)
214-692-0203

Sept. 2, 2010 - Dallas Cowboys vs. Miami Dolphins - NFL Pre- Season Game. Cowboys Stadium (Arlington, TX)
817-892-5000

Sept. 4-5, 2010 - Bedford Bluesfest (Bedford, TX)
http://www.bedfordbluesfest.com/

Sept. 4, 2010 - Cowtown Indie Bazaar (Fort Worth, TX)
Enjoy live music, free crafts for children provided by Van Grow Art Studio, free photo booth provided by Rarmai Photography, food. Will Rogers Memorial Center. 817-392-7469

Sept. 4, 2010 - John Mayer (Dallas, TX)
Superpages.com Center. 214-421-1111

Sept. 4, 2010 - Cowboy Classic: Oregon State Beavers vs. TCU Horned Frogs (Arlington, TX)
Cowboys Stadium 817-892-5000

Sept. 10, 2010 - Nick Cannon (Dallas, TX)
House of Blues Dallas 323-769-4600

Sept. 11, 2010 - 16th Annual Dog Day Afternoon (Dallas, TX)
A fun and free festival that celebrates dogs! Featuring unique vendors with samples, free goodie bags, canine contests. Flag Pole Hill at White Rock Lake. 972-428-3822

Sept. 11, 2020 - The 11th Annual Arts, Antiques & Autos Extravaganza (Denton, TX)
http://www.dentonmainstreet.org/

Sept. 11, 2010 - Dave Matthews Band (Dallas, TX)
Superpages.com Center 214-421-1111

Sept. 12, 2010 - Jonas Brothers (Dallas, TX)
Superpages.com Center 214-421-1111

Sept. 16 - 19, 2010 - Grapefest (Grapevine, TX)
https://www.grapevinetexasusa.com/festivalsandevents/grapefest/tabid/228/default.aspx

Sept. 16 - 19, 2010 - Addison Oktoberfest 2010 (Addison, TX)
http://www.addisontexas.net/events/Oktoberfest/

Sept. 16, 2010 – TX Tough Grand Prix III – USA Crits Finals (Dallas, TX)
www.txtgrandprix.org

Sept. 17, 2010 - Stockyards Championship Rodeo (Fort Worth, TX)
Cowtown Coliseum. 817-625-1025

Sep. 18, 2010 - Flights of Our Fathers Fly-In (Terrell, TX)
Flights of Our Fathers Fly-In at the BFTS Museum/Terrell Municipal Airport in Terrell, TX. The BFTS museum is hosting a Fly-In to honor the WWII British pilots who trained here and the American officers and civilian staff who assisted with that training. Call 972-524-1714 or email: no1bftsmuseum@yahoo.com

Sept. 18, 2010 - Mariachi Festival (Dallas, TX)
Lynn Creek Park on Joe Pool Lake 972-237-8100

Sept. 18, 2010 - Kiss (Frisco, TX)
Pizza Hut Park. 214-979-0303

Sept. 18, 2010 - Autumn at the Arboretum (Dallas, TX)
Thru November 14 http://www.dallasarboretum.org/special_events/AutumnAtTheArboretum.html

Sept. 19, 2010 - Pixies (Grand Prairie, TX)
Verizon Theatre 972-854-5111

Sept. 24, 2010 - State Fair Of Texas 2010 (Dallas, TX)
Runs thru Oct. 17th 214-565-9931

Sept. 24-25, 2010 - Greek Food Festival (Dallas, TX)
http://www.greekfestivalofdallas.com/

Sept. 24, 2010 - McKinney Oktoberfest 2010 (McKinney, TX)
Downtown McKinney 972-547-2660

Sept. 25, 2010 - All About Uptown Festival (Dallas, TX)
Uptown Dallas 214-341-0613

Sept. 26, 2010 - Rush (Dallas, TX)
Superpages.com Center 214-421-1111

$2 Movies at the UTA Planetarium

2010-07-13T15:26:00Z

The Planetarium at UTA is still offering those fantastic movie deals this summer.

Summer movies are a great way to cool off from the heat, so stop by to see one of the great family movies showing every Wednesday and Friday at 5:30 and Saturdays at 2:30. Tickets are just $2 each!

July 14, 16, 17 - Alice in Wonderland

July 21, 23, 24 - Where the Wild Things Are

July 28, 30, 31 - Toy Story

August 4, 6, 7 - Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

August 11, 13, 14 - Fly Me to the Moon

August 18, 20, 21 - Where the Wild Things Are

August 25, 27, 28 - Alice in Wonderland

For more information, go to: http://www.uta.edu/planetarium/shows/2-dollar-movie.php

Best of Texas Expo at Market Street - Free Family Fun!

2010-07-13T15:07:00Z

Market Street Grocery Stores will take guests on a cowboy-style cattle drive stopping to enjoy their favorite foods and Texas-grown produce on their next shopping trip during its Best of Texas Expo. The expo will feature a variety of meats from across the state, sauces made with special Lone Star ingredients & locally grown fruits and vegetables.

You will see farmers, cowboys and store keepers offering you free samples of homegrown and home-cooked Texas foods. So round up your family, dress the kids in their favorite cowboy and cowgirl gear, saddle up your SUV and head to a Market Street near you!

July 31 (11am-5pm) and August 1 (1-5pm) at all DFW Market Street locations:

Allen 985 W. Bethany Dr. Allen, TX 75013 Phone: (972) 908-3830 Colleyville 5605 Colleyville Blvd. Colleyville, TX 76034 Phone: (817) 577-5020 Coppell 700 N. Denton Tap Rd. Coppell, TX 75019 Phone: (469) 322-6800	Frisco 11999 Dallas Pkwy Frisco, TX 75034 Phone: (214) 872-1500 McKinney 6100 West Eldorado Parkway McKinney, TX 75070 Phone: (972) 548-5140 Plano 1929 Preston Road Plano, TX 75093 Phone: (972) 713-5500

Allen
985 W. Bethany Dr.
Allen, TX 75013
Phone: (972) 908-3830

Colleyville
5605 Colleyville Blvd.
Colleyville, TX 76034
Phone: (817) 577-5020

Coppell
700 N. Denton Tap Rd.
Coppell, TX 75019
Phone: (469) 322-6800

Frisco
11999 Dallas Pkwy
Frisco, TX 75034
Phone: (214) 872-1500

McKinney
6100 West Eldorado Parkway
McKinney, TX 75070
Phone: (972) 548-5140

Plano
1929 Preston Road
Plano, TX 75093
Phone: (972) 713-5500

Vickery Park

2010-07-12T18:23:00Z

We love all the places we normally go to for a weekend breakfast or brunch but it's always nice to find someplace new. This past Saturday, we found a winner that we'll definitely be going back to often for brunch, lunch & dinner. I scoured several forums last week to find other readers' recommendations for places around the Metroplex. One that caught my eye and that was mentioned many times was Vickery Park. They have two locations - one on Henderson in the new upscale area and one in downtown Plano. Well, we're just a hop, skip and a jump away from Plano, so off we went. They don't open until 11am on. We arrived a little early but that gave us a chance to snoop around the old downtown area and see what all is there (lots of neat shops and other restaurants, if you're ever in the area, plus you can ride DART to it - it drops you off just a short distance away!).
	Once they opened their doors, we were the first folks in. Vickery Park has the feel of a bar- lots of dark wood, a long bar area, hip music playing....not exactly what we were expecting, but it was nice and the wait staff was friendly and happy to have new customers. They have a pretty extensive Brunch menu and everything on it sounds great. RJ selected his beloved Eggs Benedict and chose fruit for the side accompaniment. He was not disappointed. His eggs were perfect with a scrumptious Hollandaise sauce topping each. The bowl of sliced fruit was beautifully arranged and everything was "farmers' market" fresh!
I had to try something that caught my eye- the Brisket Sandwich, with Kalhua cream sauce and smoked cheese. I opted for a side salad rather than fries. The side salad was a meal by itself. There was a generous helping of fresh baby greens, tossed in a balsamic vinaigrette and topped with dried cranberries, grated smoked gouda and toasted walnuts. A+++! Then there was the brisket sandwich. This may not be a typical Texan's brisket sandwich but they've sure sold me on it. The brisket was super tender and embedded into the melted and gooey smoked cheese. The bun itself was lightly toasted and slightly sweet. And that heavenly Kalhula cream sauce - oh my goodness. It would make an old shoe taste delicious! It is served on the side, just in case you'd rather put a light coating on your sandwich.
We really can't wait to go back. I saw on their "Happy Hour" board that they have a Wednesday special- half price wine with the purchase of an order of mussels or their cheese board. Either one of those sounds pretty darn good to me! Vickery Park 2810 N Henderson Ave Dallas, TX 75206 (214) 827-1432 1011 E. 15th Plano, TX 75074 (972) 423-6205

A Ranger needs your help! Vote for Michael Young today!!!

2010-07-05T20:47:00Z

Michael Young needs all Texas Ranger fans' help to get to the All Star game. He's one of the five candidates up for the last AL roster spot and we can all 'pitch in' by voting online for him

Simply go to: http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/events/all_star/y2010/fv/ballot_pop.html?tcid=cp_fm2010_ballot&cmpid=276545&cme=469921

Cast your vote for Michael today. Vote as many times as you want to and voting runs thru Thursday, July 8th at 3PM Central time.

Calendar of Events - August 2010

2010-07-02T12:53:00Z

Now thru Sept. 6, 2010 - Gaylord Texan SummerFest Wonderland Adventure (Grapevine, TX)
www.gaylordhotels.co

Now thru Aug. 28, 2010 – Mesquite Championship Rodeo (Mesquite, TX)
www.mesquiterodeo.com

Jul. 28 - Aug. 8, 2010 - Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus (Dallas, TX)
www.ringling.com or www.americanairlinescenter.com

Aug. 4 - 5, 2010 - Shen Yun Performing Arts (Fort Worth, TX)
www.basshall.com

Aug. 5, 2010 - Mayor's Back to School Fair (Dallas, TX)
www.themayorsbacktoschoolfair.com

Aug. 6, 2010 – The Wiggies Wiggly Circus (Grand Prairie, TX)
www.verizontheatre.com for details.

Aug. 7, 2010 – Brad Paisley in Concert (Dallas, TX)
www.eventticketscenter.com

Aug. 7-8, 2010 - 21st Annual Yellow Rose Classic (Fort Worth, TX)
www.yellowrosecarshow.com

Aug. 9, 2010 – American Idols Live – (Dallas, TX)
www.americanairlinescenter.com for more details.

Aug. 10, 2010 – Christina Aguiler in Concert (Dallas, TX)
www.eventticketscenter.com for

Aug. 13- 15, 2010 - Arlington Peddler Show (Arlington, TX)
www.peddlershow.com

Aug. 13 - 14, 2010- 17th Annual Europa Super Show & Sports EXPO (Dallas, TX)
www.supershowexpo.com

Aug. 14, 2010 - UCP Life Without Limits Run, Walk & Roll (Dallas, TX)
www.lifewithoutlimitsrwr.org

Aug. 16 - 22, 2010 - KRLD Restaurant Week (DFW area Restaurants)
www.krld.com

Aug. 17, 2010 - Speedway Children’s Charities Tony Stewart “Smoke Show” (Fort Worth, TX)
texas.speedwaycharities.org/events

Aug. 19, 2010 – Gordon Lightfoot Live In Concert (Grand Prairie, TX)
www.verizontheatre.com

Aug. 20 - 22, 2010 - 23rd Annual Lions Club Balloon Festival and Fair (Highland Village, TX)
www.hvballoonfest.org

Aug. 20 - 28, 2010 -82nd Annual North Texas State Fair and Rodeo (Denton, TX)
www.northtexasstatefair.com

Aug. 20 - 21, 2010 - Women of Faith Conference (Dallas, TX)
www.womenoffaith.com

Aug. 20 – 22, 2010 - Sales Tax Holiday (Texas)
www.window.state.tx.us

Aug. 26, 2010 – Sheryl Crow with Colbie Caillat in concert (Grand Prairie, TX)
www.verizontheatre.com

Aug. 28 - 29, 2010 - Visions : Women's Expo - 2010 (Dallas, TX)
www.visionsexpo.com

El Pescador Mariscos

2010-06-25T17:45:00Z

Here's a true gem of a restaurant for you if you like Mexican seafood... El Pescador Mariscos in Plano. This is an out-of-the-way but well worth the find, treat of a place. Serving everything from ceviche, shrimp cocktails, seafood soups, quesadillas, tostadas & nachos to full seafood platters & whole fish platters, there is definitely something for everyone. Not into seafood? Don't worry....they also have beef and chicken dishes.

Prices are righteous and, at lunch.....listen to this....they have 18 different daily (Mon-Fri) lunch specials for only $5.95 and that includes your drink!

I sampled the lunch Enchiladas Diablo- spicy cheese enchiladas topped with a cheese sauce & three grilled jumbo shrimp, and served with rice and beans. It was simply outstanding.

I can't wait to go back with RJ and get try their ceviche and soups. I am sure we will not be disappointed.

El Pescador is located at 1424 Jupiter Road, Suite 203, in Plano. It's in a strip center behind the one with Royal Chopstix (that's just a bit north of Jupiter Rd & FM544). You can turn into the center where Royal Chopstix is or turn east on 15th Street . It's at the east end of the strip mall.

El Pescador Mariscos
1424 Jupiter Road
Suite 203
Plano, TX 75074
972-516-0191