You know what is really challenging? Writing about food that’s fine, unobjectionable really, and just terrifically boring. This is me trying. www.dallasobserver.com/food-drink/d...

I'm looking to interview some non-American musicians or bands who've decided not to tour in the U.S. this year because of ICE. Please hit my DMs if you are willing to chat about this decision.

I asked for a no bullshit conversation with the partners in one of Dallas’s most successful hospitality groups. I got it. www.dmagazine.com/food-drink/2...

In October, I went to Tyler, Texas, to check out a restaurant. The chef reminded me of my cousin. They're both veterans who love music and ended up in hospitality, where their skills turned them into upstarts. The visit turned into my first story for Texas Highways. texashighways.com/food-drink/t...

I’m excited to have the cover story of the Observer this week. It came together fast, my editors were annoyed by my story structure, the subjects were nervous about talking, the subject is timely and difficult - it’s everything that makes journalism great. www.dallasobserver.com/food-drink/h...

I cannot emphasize enough how much I wanted to hate this. www.dallasobserver.com/food-drink/t...

Texas wine is struggling with low sales. So when a natural wine bar in Dallas that I adore, Fond, decided to partner with Crowson Wines in Johnson City to make a batch of something special, I really wanted to write about it. And I’m so happy @d_magazine let me! www.dmagazine.com/food-drink/2...

It is the moral and fiduciary responsibility of anyone in the hospitality industry to speak out against ICE, and other Trump administration policies that are affecting the mental health of their workers and the fiscal health of their business. Period. theleftovers.beehiiv.com/p/ice-in-our...

Yes, the soup dumplings at Bushi Bushi in Dallas are as good as you’ve heard. Maybe better. My latest review for the @dallasobserver.com www.dallasobserver.com/food-drink/b...

I am obsessed with the ricotta gnudi with pullled duck here (the jumbo-size quail picatta was also incredible), so I had to write a whole story about it. diningout.com/dallas/at-th...

I’m very excited this chef is back in a kitchen in Dallas - even if it’s not forever. My piece on a new little music venue and all-day cafe with quite the pedigree in Dallas. diningout.com/dallas/james...

My hot takes on the James Beard semifinaliats for 2026 from around Texas. theleftovers.beehiiv.com/p/james-bear...

Eating at 10 Tex-Mex restaurants in foir days. When I research lists, I like to do it over a few months, taking time to eat at restaurants by-and-by. This assignment found me eating multiple meals a day to write short reviews. It’s a gauntlet. theleftovers.beehiiv.com/p/best-tex-m...

Journalists are being targeted, press access to the White House is restricted and the President is going after news outlets that don’t report favorably on the administration. We're standing up for Press Freedom. Join the national town hall tomorrow. RSVP: wgaea.st/pressfreedom...

Have told myself, “That’s a Monday problem,” in my head about five times already this morning. Ah, the freelancer’s urge to always be working.

One last piece this year: Looking at a gorgeous new Dallas restaurant that’s part art gallery from a tastemaker chef. diningout.com/dallas/ateli...

Sending a little holiday cheer in the form of some of my favorite bites from 2025. www.dallasobserver.com/food-drink/t...

New work on @dmagazine.bsky.social about folks I greatly admire who don’t like how an aspect of hospitality usually runs, so they made their own path. www.dmagazine.com/food-drink/2...

It’s me, sneaking into @nodepression.bsky.social to write about one of my favorite albums of the year. nodepression.org/album-review...

Sometimes I write a kicker that I delight myself with and I don’t care if it’s just for me. Whatever! Anyway, big Dallas restaurant news. www.dmagazine.com/food-drink/2...

Dipped a toe into writing restaurant reviews for @dallasobserver.com . www.dallasobserver.com/food-drink/e...

This story about a freelancer landing assignments at storied publications with ChatGPT generated pitches and fake quotes is a good scammer read, but also indicative of the state of modern journalism. thelocal.to/investigatin...

Help, my parents think the tariff dividends check is happening and want to use it to rent an Airbnb for Christmas.

Made my debut on @seriouseats.bsky.social this week, diving into the history of beef tallow. www.seriouseats.com/is-beef-tall...

So many people are speculating about why and how Mamani in Dallas earned a Michelin star after only two months. I’ve got a list of reasons. theleftovers.beehiiv.com/p/why-mamani...

What does a MAGA entertainment company look like? Paramount, baby. variety.com/2025/film/fe...

When I say I want more affordable all day cafes and spaces with good music, I mean like this one. A couple of good folks are saving a Deep Ellum institution from closing down, and I covered it for @dmagazine.bsky.social. www.dmagazine.com/food-drink/2...

Four restaurants, four very different nights out in Dallas. In this week’s issue of The Leftovers, I’m sharing what happened when I revisited some big-name dining rooms — and was lucky enough to find myself in one of the city’s most exciting pop-ups.

Halloween playlist drop! Yeah I know, I’m switching to Apple, the overtly less evil music streaming service but it’s not actually. open.spotify.com/playlist/3C5...

There is nothing I love more than being right. So, I put together a list of the new Michelin-recognized restaurants across Texas that I told you to try. You’re welcome. theleftovers.beehiiv.com/p/love-to-be...

A comedy of errors in Dallas, in which one hand is not speaking to the other in city government. www.dmagazine.com/food-drink/2...

One woman. Ten barbecue spots in three days. Too much brisket. Not enough cold slaw. These are my hottest takes on where to eat barbecue in the great city of Houston. www.theinfatuation.com/houston/guid...

I ate at ten barbecue spots in Houston to put together a hit map for The Infatiation, including the Michelin-starred barbecue in Spring. I finished more confused than ever about what makes a barbecue spot Michelin-worthy.

Okay women of a certain age in Dallas, who is coming??

I’m a big fan of THC. When I was going through serious anxiety and depression related to PTSD, it was one of the things that helped me manage it. But it can also just be fun - which I’ve grown to appreciate.

Its creators—one from Colombia, the other born in a farmers market—met at a Home Depot parking lot and were accepted into the Fair on their seventh attempt.

Making my debut in @dmagazine.bsky.social today with a bang! www.dmagazine.com/food-drink/2...

Women of a certain age in DFW: Do you want to dance again and still be in bed by 10 pm? There’s a party for that and I’m throwing it. There will be good music from your exactly heyday and snacks. See you there.

I was excited to try Opal’s Oysters in Waco, the first non-barbecue spot from Texas barbecue legends, Terry Black’s. It turns out, there isn’t room for two raw bars in the small city of Waco, Texas.

Free speech for me and not for thee, yet again in Texas. Now they want to “examine free speech on college campuses” across the state because students didn’t mourn him the way they wanted. No one elected official, when asked, saw the irony. www.dallasnews.com/news/politic...

HAVE YOU BEEN INFLUENCED? Call the law offices of Courtney E. Smith; you may be entitled to compensation.

I’ve been waiting all year for Mamani to open in Dallas. Going prompted me to explore a new content type with my weekly newsletter, looking not just at a review of the food that I ordered but the philosophy of the restaurant and how customers can get the most out of a menu with luxury prices.

Hotel restaurants aren’t usually a destination, but the Duchess in the Nobelman, a Marriott cosplaying as a boutique hotel in an up-and-coming Fort Worth neighborhood, is an exception.

I visited Emerald City Lounge, Fort Worth’s first cannabis lounge, this weekend and it was a really good time. I like how the goal is to make it social and destigmatize partaking. Also it was just super cute.

So, where do I sign up for Chorus?

I am stupider for having read this. www.dmagazine.com/food-drink/2...

I’ve been eating queso all year to try and pull together a list of the best places to eat it. It turns out, cheaper and classic is better. In this week’s edition of the Lefotovers, I look at why - and where to eat it in Texas.

How much should a burger cost? How about a burger by a chef with a Michelin-starred restaurant (it serves pasta)? How about a burger I personally judged and gave a winning nod to at a food festival? In my first newsletter, I break down the hidden costs of a damn good burger.