Floating on Air.

Ok we all know that New Year's Eve is the night to go out and party, and it is believe me I know (I'm still planning my attack for all the parties I want to attend that night). But what about New Year's Day? I think we all dismiss it as a day to recover from the wild night prior to it, but why can't New Year's Day, be the day you use to set the tone for the rest of the year? I, of course, am going to issue a challenge! Make New Year's Day something special for you so that you start the year off with a bang. I am challenging myself to plan the most romantic date possible for my main squeeze before he has to go back to the desert and get back to his larnin'. 

I sat down with the genius who guides me, Harold (cha-ching!), and we brain stormed over what would make for a wonderful date in good ole big D. Initially we tossed around restaurants, he highly recommended Adelmo's Ristorante off Mckinney, they apparently have a very cozy spot for lovers to dine and smooch on the second floor, the food is out of this world too. But it seemed that if you're planning the perfect date, a bed and breakfast feel is what you want. It has to be something where you feel whisked away from your life and plunked down into a fairy-tale written just for you (and no that doesn't mean go to Medieval Times, put on a crown and run around screaming I'm a princess). 

We narrowed down the list of perfect settings for the perfect date to three locations, the criteria was that the hotel had to be lavish and luxurious, it had to have a restaurant with one of Dallas' finest dining, and it had to be an amazing location. The three who made the list were the Stoneleigh Hotel, the St. Germain, and of course the Adolphus.

Let's start with the Stoneleigh, it's a classic hotel that silver screen actors from the 40's used to flock to as it was the hotspot to visit when one came to Dallas. It's one of the staples of lavish Dallas history as it has been around since the 20's and with it's new reservations it's got the feel of a brand new starlette fresh from a 1920's movie screen. Along with the phenomenal accommodation that will make you stay tucked away in your room, there's the Bolla Restaurant located in the hotel. This uptown dining delight is under the watchful eye of  creative Chef Cesar Gallego's. For those of you who are budgeting after the holidays and worry that such a fine establishment is well outside of your price range, they offer these amazing four for forty menu's, it's a prefixed menu with a four course meal of some of the Chef's most innovative creations for your delight at such an affordable rate that it's ridiculous!

Next is the Adolphus. I shouldn't even have to tell my readers why the Adolphus is amazing because I have loved it so much that I think you have all come to love it too. However, I will never pass up the chance to gush about my beloved. The reason one should stay at the Adolphus is because it's one of the most romantic places in Dallas to be. The rooms are glorious and so comfortable with their french antique inspired themed. There's no need to leave your room because the staff is willing to bend over backwards to do whatever they can to make your room the absolution of a romantic getaway, but you should leave your room. You should get dressed to the nines grab hold of your significant other and go down to the French Room. There's nothing more romantic than sitting in a cozy table in the corner of one of the most beautiful rooms in Texas while serenaded by light piano music and devour eyerolling extraordinary five star dining.

Last on the list is definitely not the least but it is the smallest, which makes for it's very intimate feel and appeal (see what I did there). This hotel comes with the Harold stamp of approval, it's the Hotel St. Germain located on Maple. It's the only one of the three that is an actual bed and breakfast. It's decorated with a french theme throughout the entire estate and is truly marketed to lovers. The dining is a European themed candle lit restaurant that over looks the ivy covered french quarter styled garden courtyard. It's really the perfect place to go if you want the feel of being isolated in a romantic french cottage but still want the option of hitting the town seeing as Dallas has a lot to offer especially in that area. But again, it's the intimacy you're getting here, where the other two are luxurious and classic, this place is very cozy and small, there's only seven rooms in the entire venue!

I hope you all have a great and safe New Year's Eve*, and I truly hope your year starts off bright and inspiring. There's nothing more wonderful than the promise of a clean slate to start fresh. Happy New Year everyone!

*There's no excuse to drink and drive this New Year's Eve. AAA is offering Tipsy Tow: Even for those whithout a AAA membership, from 6pm-6am New Year's Eve/Day they will tow your drunk self and your car home for FREE. Save the number (800) 222-4357

THIS IS HALLOWEEN!!!

Well my little gnomes, Halloween weekend is finally upon us. The weekend will be full of ghost and goblins and the skanky women in an "animal" costumes. For all of those who are looking for something fun to do this weekend in my happy stomping grounds of good ole Dallas Texas (and have been too lazy to read my blog till today) I have some fun little options for all of you to part take in. There's a lot, so the quips will be at a minimum.

First there's the Dallas Women's Chorus and their wonderful Masquerade (my mommy sings with them), it's a lovely evening with silent auctions, tastey wine, and a reason to wear formal wear with a haunting mask. All the money goes towards the Chorus! It's a great cause and a wonderful party for those looking for a classy event. http://www.thewomenschorusofdallas.com/Masquerade.html

Next is the Oak Lawn Block Party, for those of you NOT looking for a classy event to attend. The block party takes place on Cedar Springs in uptown Dallas and is a blast, from the five clubs all around blasting fist pumping jams, to the (what seems like) fifty vendors selling your favorite booze right there on the street, but the costumes are the real treat, the effort put into them is clear because you can't turn without seeing a jaw dropping masterpiece. http://www.caven.com/

If those don't suit your fancy then there's a few haunted tours for you to go check out like:

• The McKinney Ghost walk http://www.chestnutsquare.org/programs/mckinney-ghost-tour.asp
• The Grove in Jefferson Texas http://www.thegrove-jefferson.com/

Or there's always the famed Haunted Houses (theme park style)...

• Thrillvania http://thrillvania.com/
• Screams Theme Park http://www.screamspark.com/
• The Cutting Edge http://www.cuttingedgehauntedhouse.com

Don't forget there's a whole mess of rumored haunted hotels all over the metroplex from the Adolphus, the Lawrence, to even Miss Molly's bed and Breakfast in Fort Worth, where ever you go this weekend, the chance of a good scare is right around the corner. There's bound to be something somewhere for all your Halloween needs and delights, even if you stay home checking out your favorite scary movie is taking part in the holiday fun. Just make sure you're having fun... You don't want to upset the spirit of Halloween.

Fun from the Wide Eyed view... Part 1!

This is the beginning of the end, the final series of blogs for the month! This brainchild started the whole Halloween themed blogs in October. Granted, yes, October being the month of Halloween was a wee bit of the reason too, but let’s focus on these blogs being a labyrinth of twist and turns of true Halloween inspiration (cue Halloween-y themed music)! The honest inspiration of this is simple, for most people who don’t have kids to take trick or treating, or love to go to a bar typesetting, Halloween is lost on them. Because let’s face it, they can’t show up to some strangers house asking for candy without it being a stranger danger moment, and some people don’t find it a hoot to pour copious amounts of booze down their throats while trying to figure what animal ears the woman in the Victoria’s Secret nightie is wearing.  These people shouldn’t be counted out when it comes to Halloween fun because they refuse to be creepy and sloppy, and for those gentle souls, I present to you some options that are suited to your fancy.

We begin with the Hotel Lawrence a historic building tucked away in downtown Dallas. This hotel is classic and you can’t help but feel completely immersed in Dallas history. When walking into the swanky lobby, the fact that this is rumored to be one of the most haunted locations to stay in the Metroplex seems to drift away. The art deco décor is lavish and inviting, and the promise of milk and cookies makes it almost impossible to want to leave the comfortable seating area. But this stay isn’t about comfy couches and tasty treats, alas no, it’s about the bumps in the night and the fables haunting the halls. Legend has it that there are several haunted hot spots in the Lawrence and of course, my devotion to my readers I went to find out for myself how haunted the rooms where.

I imagine my staying at the Lawrence was what it was like for Mr. King to stay at the Stanley Hotel. If I had been left there alone with nothing but my room and a typewriter, I probably could have written a masterpiece. There are a few specific tales of why and what is haunting the Lawrence, in room 1009 is rumored to be the dwelling of a congressman who took his life, and in the basement the sound of children can be heard and the laundry carts move on their own. But the most recordings and scariest stories are of the legendary room 807, the haunt belonging to the deadly and devious Smiley.  There is debate on how he came to an untimely demise, some say it was a brutal butchering, other’s say it was by his own hands that he made his way into the afterlife, but all agree that Jack “Smiley” Jackson is no ghost to fool around with, from chocking guests with towels to allegedly slitting the throat of a man named Brookshire. I will admit the fear of staying in a hotel with such a devious spirit was a little uneasy, so naturally when I called to confirm my room I made certain I was staying in room 807.

When I arrived in my room, I got a true sense that I was stepping back into the past, making it easy to let all the spooky senses become heighten, and to my macabre fascination the view from my room looked over the grassy knoll, escalating the fear factor of the room to a magnificent level. I did some searching around looking for some spooks and frights. I didn’t see any visual apparitions but the goose bumps were there along with the sneaky feeling that I was not alone. I did find some startling evidence that I am a chicken, I made several attempts to go to the basement but for some mysterious (ok I say “mysterious” you might say “wussy”) reason I could never manage to send the elevator to the basement floor.

Perhaps I was a fortunate soul and the ghost of good kind Smiley decided he would let me stay in peace,  or perhaps he used me as a catalyst to tell other’s there’s no fear and to come stay at the Lawrence so he can feed his thirst of savage hauntery. There is no telling of what is real or make believe when looking into the paranormal. I’m not a ghost hunter, I’m just a girl who loves to look at the world with open eyes and let whatever excitement come my way. It’s fun to be scared, its fun to be frightened, so even though I didn’t see any goblins or ghouls it was still fun sitting on pins and needles waiting to see what might jump out of the darkness. 

(to be continued….)

Your Casa is Mi Casa? At least for the weekend.

All photos are exclusively vacation home/villa rentals by owners

Ever go on vacation and wish you could take that cozy feeling of being at home with you? Ever sit around your house and wonder what it would be like to live somewhere else, perhaps a fancier setting? Ever wanted to know what it would be like to own a villa looking over the Italian country side? Yep, me too. Don't get me wrong, when I want to be spoiled and have a girls weekend where every room I walk in I feel like a pampered princess, you bet your bottom I'm going to stay at one of my favorite hotels. But when I'm on a long vacation with my family, I want it to feel like home, plus when you have a six year old it's nice to have a room for just him and a room for just me (sorry hotels, privacy partitions don't do the trick after the forth day on a vacation). 

I recently went to the magical land of Montana to spend Labor Day with my main squeeze and our families (which you should know since I wrote about it two weeks ago). There were so many of us staying there that staying at a hotel wasn't exactly ideal, so I went to work and started doing my research, and found a cute property for rent as a vacation house in Bozeman. The interesting thing about it was that it was for rent by owner. It was great! The townhouse was adorable and cozy, and it had three bedrooms fully furnished. But what was startling was how affordable it was, where staying in a decent hotel would have cost us well over $150 for each room for each night, this entire house was $150. It really seemed too good to be true; affordable pricing, real privacy, and no worries about making sure you're not streaking through the room when the maid service pops in... awesome. Granted there's some downsides, there's no regulations that have to be met when dealing with certain websites, there's no maid service to pick up while you're running around for the day, and there is no room service. 

It's amazing what you can find when you want to find something perfect for you, you have the pick of the litter from almost anywhere in the world. You can find a cabin nestled away in the mountains in Montana, you can get a villa over looking the ocean in Puerto Vallarta, or (as I said before) a rustic Italian villa over looking the Italian countryside. The options are pretty limitless and it makes travel interesting and possible for any imagination and any wallet. 

Tomorrow I'll be talking about a way for you to find out how to take advantage of the by owner rental opportunities, and what are all the really cool benefits of it.

Holy 'Mole!

Tomorrow is a very important national holiday for those of us in North America, something we all treasure (or should) is getting the acclaim it truly deserves. I think back to this beautiful concoction and think of all the times I shunned it in my childhood ignorantly, judging it on it's less than scrumptious appearance, letting my bigotry steal moments of pure delight from my life. Till I finally took a leap forward and opened my eyes to it's tantalizing deliciousness and fell in love with Guacamole.



 September 16th is the celebration of National Guacamole Day, our most precious creations, not as a country but as a continent. This mouth watering dip is one of the most simple of recipes, but I think it's the beauty of how the few yet powerful ingredients marry that makes it such a staple in southern dining. If you have not tried this dip, I encourage you to get brave and go devour some in respect of this glorious holiday this icon so righteously deserves.

If you live in the Dallas Metroplex, there's a fantastic restaurant we at my office love with all our hearts named Mextopia, it's a wonderful eatery on Lower Greenville. The appetizing menu is full of traditional Mexican cuisine, and of course they pride themselves on their fresh lime margaritas. The food is fresh and tasty, and the atmosphere is soothing and relaxing. While you're there, ask about a very cool trip they are hosting to a culinary treasure, Oaxaca, I promise you this is something you must see!

Another Wideeyed stamp of approval for those of you wanting to celebrate National Guacamole Day, after going to the bar, is Los Arcos. This hidden treasure is simple quiet and open 24 hours a day, and at 5 am they have a mariachi band come and perform, beware trumpets are loud after five jager bombs. This gem is located on the corner of Hall and Ross, I found that it (like Mextopia) features true Mexican cuisine. And as a personal heads up, I found their white queso dip mixed with Guacamole is the perfect prevention to a hangover.

Now how about some fun National Guacamole Facts.

• When Spaniards encountered the Aztec empire, the locals were making a sauce called Ahuac-mulli, which means "Avocado-mixture". This means this delightful dip is older than the United States of America!
• Schlotzky's is recognizing this holiday by giving away free Guac' on any sandwich ordered on September 16th with purchase of any sandwich meal.

I hope you all have a great weekend, visit your favorite Mexican restaurant (http://www.mextopia.com/)in honor of this great holiday. Go visit your favorite co-op or farmers market on Saturday to continue your fabulous farm to table dining I know you all have been doing so great at. In the coming weeks you're all going to see some really fascinating blogs coming to you; about a beautiful Oaxaca trip we're involved with and what I'm learning from it, a look into something pretty cool in jazzy little town we all know, and a challenge I set for myself and my bladder. Have a wonderful weekend my favorite gnomes.

P.S. I have one more interesting fact for you. The word Avocado descends linguistically from the ancient Nahuatl word ahuacatl, meaning "testicles". Some language experts think that conquistadors combined the Nahuatl with the Spanish "abogado" (lawyer) to make the present word for our favorite green fruit. So, when eating Guac', you're chewing on mashed lawyer balls... there's some food for thought! Enjoy!

Keeping my promise

Good morning readers! I hope you all had a good night's sleep, filled with dreams of delicious foods and time spent with precious loved ones. OK enough with the mushy stuff, on to business. Yesterday I spoke about the delectable food I had in Montana that was locally grown, and I made a promise that today I'd let you in on a handfull of places in the Metroplex that also did the farm to table dining.

                                                                 

The next on my list is also a soft spot for me, it's less than a mile from my house, Restaurant Ava. This new splendid restaurant is one of the best places in the Metroplex to eat, and in my opinion, the best high end dining in our little town of Rockwall Texas. They use farm to table products and free range chickens. The food is divine, it really is. Their lunch and dinner menus are sublime, but if you have a chance to stop in for breakfast I recomend getting their Shrimp and Grits (house cured tasso ham, oven roasted tomatoes, gulf shrimp, stone ground grits) for dinner I recommend Pan Roasted Chicken Breast (asparagus, french green beans, spanish chorizo, barking cat sweet peppers, patatas bravas).

Now if you're in Dallas and you need something on Inwood and Lovers Lane, then you should go visit Rise no1. A beautiful french bistrow featuring souffle's, the brain child of my boss' dear friend Hedda Dowd. She and Chef Cherif are co owners of this beautiful and very green living restaurant. It's one of the most interesting and delicious places one can eat at in the Dallas area. They have really made it their mission to educate and demonstration the importance of utilizing the local agriculture for gastronomic arts. They prove that local is delicious. Everything on their menu is superb and almost every ingrediant is something grown in the local area. They also use recycled materials from their decorations to their linens, but that's a tale for another day.

I realize that sometimes eating out is a little out of budget, don't worry, farm to table can also be your table. "But Wide Eyed, I don't think I can go to a farm for food." is what you might say, but I anticipated that. Yes, even though the two restaurants I listed are reasonable in price, eating out every meal isn't very cost effective, nor is it wise to drive to a random farm in the middle of Texas and just start plucking away at their goods. I found that in the Metroplex all you need to do is take a little drive to a local farmers market. I instantly found three convenient locations. There's the Rockwall farmers market, it's open Saturdays from 8-12noon, unfortunately it is not year round (it ends October 8th, hurry and go visit it). Then there's the Coppell Farmers Market, a huge supporter of the Farm to Table movement, they are also Saturdays from 8 - Noon, I know they are not year round, but not sure when they close down for the season, I'm pretty sure it's in November. Finally there's the Dallas Farmers Market, it's been up and running for 70 years. You can find anything there, and it's something you could do as an all day event, it is open 362 days a year from 8am - 6pm, no excuse to miss out on it. 

There's so much more I could tell you about when it comes to Dallas and it's growing appreciation for farm to table eating, but there's not enough hours in the day to tell you all about the delights. I know that DISH on Cedar Springs is one of Dallas' new hot spots but unfortunately I haven't had a chance to visit it personally, but trust me, I will be doing some very in depth research on it and will report back with the quickness. Have a wonderful weekend gnomes, go out and see if you can find some down home cooking, be it in a farm to table restaurant or fresh farmers market in your own kitchen.

http://restaurantava.com/
http://risesouffle.com/

http://www.dallasfarmersmarket.org

http://www.coppellfarmersmarket.org/

http://mainstreet.rockwall.com/faqs.asp