jsmeeker

Al Biernat's has been around a long time. It's kind of a Dallas institution. I think it's a fine choice if you are in the Oak Lawn/Highland Park area.

Back before Richard got me hooked on tea, I was buying my coffee at at the Dunn Brothers location on Beltline in Addison. The place is a chain, but they are all individually owned and operated. The owner of that location was there on every visit I made. And on many locations, coffee roasting was going on. As Richard suggests, nothing seems to be more than a few days old. I usually bought my coffee based on what was the most recently roasted. Not sure if they still do this, but they would sell any half pound for $5. That was a pretty good deal. You could actually pay less per unit cost for some coffees that way. Worked fine for me because it took me a while to go through a half pound. One of the reasons I switched to tea at home.

not yet.. They are available at the McDonalds near me. I pass by it every day going to work. And then coming home from work. Right at dinner dinner time... I'm sure I'll eventually get one.

Kris, In Venetian/Palazzo, Cut is very good. If you want Italian, check out Valentino. I don't really enjoy buffets much, but when I went to the Wynn buffet a few years ago, it was good. You may want to consider the Wicked Spoon buffet at Cosmopolitan. It's the newest one in town, and has a non-traditional way of serving up the food. I don't get off strip too much, so it's hard for me to suggest places. But I have heard great things about Settabello. There is a hash house on the strip now. You gotta go into the IP, though.

I love any las vegas related story. And one revolving around food is even better. Less than two months until my next trip out there.

I've got two melamine (at least I am pretty sure they are) mixing bowls. I use them for all sorts of stuff. Mixing. Temporary storage of liquids and sauces and soups just off the boil. Longer term storage of stuff in the fridge. I alawys wash them in the microwave. Are they slowly killing me?

There really isn't anything wrong with Ranch dressing as an actual salad dressing. Dipping other foods in it?? Like pizza? I dunno. Of course, do like to have a little ranch dressing with my Buffalo wings, so I guess I am part of the problem? Another Hidden Valley Ranch product I like is the dip mix. The poweder you dump into sour cream and eat with potato chips. That's tasty, too.

On Labor day, I made a return visit to Lockhart Smokehouse in Oak Cliff (Dallas). This time, I skipped the ribs and only ordered brisket (moist) and a link of Kruez sausage. The brisket was really great. Tender. juicy. falvorful. Better than what I had on the first visit. Some of the best I have had in Dallas. It's on par with Pecan Lodge. Really, I think those are two very solid places that are within the city limits.

awesome pics! I finally got a chance to see them. thanks for sharing.

I first learned of dunking pizza in ranch dressing when I was in college. The practice has been around for a long time.

I love a calzone. Back in my college days, there was a local pizza joint across the street from the campus that made a tasty calzone.

I don't think any of them do. At least, the location I went to and another one or two I drove by. It's more like a "stand". Order at a window. Get ice cream. Though the one location I visited had a lot of outside bench seating.

I got a chance to have Handel's Ice Cream while on an extended work trip to Ohio over the past few weeks. This stuff was really excellent. Who else likes this this place? http://www.handelsicecream.com/home/index.html

Perhaps the people in Dallas haven't figured out that you can park in the lot, go inside and order a burger, and take it with you. Well, everyone but Jeff. It's Dallas. People love the drive through here. ACtually, at this time, the dine in was much busier than the drive through. But it was still very quirky. And people WERE sitting outside. It was an unusually cool day given the weather we have been having the past month and a half. I think the extreme nuttiness is dying down. No one was camped out at this newest location. The people that were really really dying to go have already been to the existing locations. Also, I think with the ones that opened later, there was little, if any, press. Maybe word of mouth will get out and they will actually be busier several days after the initial opening.

The In-n-Out nearest me opened on Thursday. I just went for a late dinner/ Behold the awesomeness that is the Double Double.

This thread really makes me excited for the 2012 "Heartland" gathering in Philly. We simply must work in some sort of "sandwich crawl"

Which leads us to beer floats... but I won't drift this off topic. Wait...drift back a second... beer floats? I am intrigued! What kind of beer would you use? A stout I was at a food and wine festival in Charleston a few years ago, and there was a beer vendor there giving out samples. One thing they did was a stout float. It was fairly tasty.

Katie's not kidding about the mustaches; they're really extraordinary. You'll dig it, Rona. eta: also, the ice cream is good! It's a neat place. Do they have chocolate malteds? It would be a double strike against them to have root beer floats yet no chocolate malteds. Chocolate malteds rock! Choclate malts are awesome! I like them more than I like Root Beer Floats. I wish I knew about that place in Cleveland. I think you went there Friday after the food truck? I just went directly back to the hotel and chilled out there.

I just love, love, love that place. Glad I finaly got into the back room. I found that the bartenders were a little bit less overwhelmed later in the evening. It certainly was a bit busy early on with everyone arriving at the same time and ordering drinks.

I use a spoon and a straw.

My jao zhai (Boiled Dumplings) were made of beef. Ahhh.. That's right...

which city/area ??

I haven't had one in a long time, but I love root beer floats. Root beer. Ice cream. So much yum. What's your favorite root beer to use? What about ice cream? Do you use an ice cream flavor other than vanilla? How do you build it? Add ice cream to glass then pour the root beer over it? Or do you pour root beer in the glass, then float the ice cream on top?

It's 108 in Dallas. A root beer float sounds really good right now. Really, really good.

There are no tourist traps in Philadelphia. What size thundering herd usually shows up for a Gathering? How do handle small places? Do you usually split into groups for such tours or what? Cool that you may end up here. Not even Pat's and Geno's? At this past Cleveland gathering, we wer about 30 people at each event. We really didn't go to any SMALL places that weren't able to accommodate us either in a private room or a reserved section of a dining room. But you make a good point about really small places that are popular.