I live in Dallas

I’m not sure if I like this artist because his work was so strange, or because some guy took me to his gallery opening on our first date (by far my favorite date because he wasn’t so lame as to do the ordinary.)

Chet Morrison is a fantasy photographer and combines photos from the past with his original photos. His photographs are offbeat and I remember just sort of looking deeper into each photograph for a meaning or even a story. Whatever it was, I was reaching for more.

His photography is dark and has an unapologetic sense of humor. The hats play a role in almost every photograph, acting as a constant accessory. Not sure what that even means, maybe you can tell me.

I will most likely never ever own a Morrison because it’s not the style of art I could look at everyday, but I would not mind seeing his work again.

Anyway, I’ll keep you posted if I hear anything about gallery openings or showings.

I grabbed one of Morrison’s postcards as we were leaving. It’s sad, the clothes are dated, the mother has died, and I almost want to hear the tune of the father’s violin. But why is the mother driving the car?

2917 Gallery
2917 Canton Street (located in Deep Ellum)
Dallas, TX 75226
ph: 214/755-0903

Garden Cafe sounds too good to be true for a place like Dallas, TX. But once you get there you’re not surprised that a place like this is hidden in the Lakewood area.

Enter through the back gate and make your way through the lovely garden. Basil, rosemary, some other herbs I don’t know the name of, and peppers fill the entire back area. A small 5-table seating area is parted down the middle.  (The back area reminded me of the pink flamingo nursery in Austin - without the cafe, of course.)

Inside was very casual, cheery, and quick to order. The walls showcased local artists’ selling their framed or print photography (some really beautiful work - all very countryside.)

Breakfast is served all day, and their feta omelet was the second best I’ve had (Meli cafe still holds the bid for number 1.) The food is friendly for everyone, vegans & meat-lovers.

I look forward to taking anyone who has an appreciation for gardens or home cooked food made with fresh ingredients, which will probably be my mother the next time she is in Dallas.

Photo originally uploaded from gardencafe.net

Garden Cafe
5310 Junius St.
Dallas, Texas 75214
tel: 214/887-8330

Open Tuesday through Sunday.
8am – 2pm for breakfast and lunch.
Breakfast served all day.

Aw. A Hallmark card. A  $5, 5-second sentimental value card that means nothing but a smile and spot on your dresser for 72-hours. Give a card with a little more value behind it (other than the sweet words you write inside.) Little Otsu works with independent artists and sells their print work through the likes of cards, calendars and journals (oh, and buttons!) Hell yeah. Buttons.

I love these cards. Not only for their uniqueness but because they are printed using soy-based inks, recycled paper, and tree-free paper. The cards cost $3 and shipping is free for orders over $25.

Anytime you’re in a local book store, art gallery, or museum, always check out the cards they have on stock. I have the best luck finding stylish and chicy cards in places like these. They’re great to have readily available for that particular friend whose appreciation is far beyond the gold crown.

Little Otsu is based out of San Fransisco, CA.
check them out www.littleotsu.com
and on their blog http://littleotsu.com/blog/

When you’re done with Uptown, or never even tried to pretend, check out The Grape - a classy, humble joint on Greenville Ave.

Stop by after work or on the weekend and you’ll never feel over or under dressed. The place has been on Greenville for the last 35 years and framed articles cover the brick hallway’s like fancy patterned wallpaper.

The wine list offers a variety of selections but nothing to the extent that you are choosing between the ‘73 and ‘82 Bordeaux. We’re on Greenville, not in Uptown. As for me, any place that carries Sauvingon Blanc from New Zealand and serves it by the glass is fine (Audrey Heburn not Florence Nightingale fine.)

The bar area is fairly empty for the most part (on a weekday), set with tiny tiled Greek tables and a long bench along the wall; perfect if you want to enjoy an evening alone without feeling “alone” (eh hem, that’s where you will find me with a book and a drink.)

The place was comforting and that’s what I liked about it.

It’s like a secret hangout with dive and class …and no one knew you were ever there.

…that is, unless you blog about it or something.

The Grape Restaurant
2808 Greenville Ave
Dallas, Texas 75206
Ph: 214/828-1981

Hours
Dinner nightly from 5:30pm
Happy Hour M-F 4:30-7pm
Sunday Brunch 10:30-2pm
Make reservations using opentable.com or call 214/828-1981.

Events this month
On August 31st, The Grape is offering a three-course wine paired meal for $45. Call to make reservations.

When Starbucks has taken enough of your money, and not even returned a little in free wi-fi, check out some of the local coffee shops in your area. What you will get is better coffee, prices, and a unique experience. Plus, you’re supporting local businesses.

Today, Nick and I checked out Opening Bell on South Lamar.

A little on the South side of town, but there are some reasons to go over there once in a while (Lee Harvey’s, Bill’s Records, Palladium Ballroom). Opening Bell didn’t nearly have the crowd I thought it would be, well, because we were the only people there for a while. Turns out the Bell gets busy on Fri. and Sat. night when they have live music on the stage.

To be honest, I liked it the way it was. Good lighting, open seating, music that is playing not on the radio, and fresh, decent coffee (without all the merchandise next to the register when you order.) They also have a wide variety of board games and playing cards, which could be fun for a date, if people still do that anymore.

Oh, and did I mention Free Wi-Fi?

This is just the place to go on a Sunday.

Opening Bell
1409 South Lamar, Basement #012
Dallas, Texas 75215
tel: 214/565-0383
Street side parking and free gated parking on Belleview.

Hours:
Monday-Thursday 7am-10pm
Friday 7am-midnight
Saturday 9am-midnight
Sunday 10am-2pm

Two places in Chicago that you should know about if you ever visit (or are lucky enough to live there).

Meli Cafe & Juice Bar, 301-305 S. Halsted, Chicago, IL 60661, tel: 312/454-0748
www.melicafe.com

Meli’s is located in the Greek district, a little off the beaten path, about a 5 minute cab ride from downtown. This place is small (quaint) with people packed on the inside and busy with people waiting on the outside. Worth the trip, worth the wait.I could have ordered anything on that menu and probably not have been disappointed. How good does this sound?

Brie Omelete, Ham, Asparagus & Mozzarella Frittatas, Stuffed Strawberry French Toast (held together by a layer of marscarpone), Banana & Cocoa-hazelnut Crepe

… this goes on, I’m just listing what I think sounds good.

Of course here’s a picture of what I ate - Feta Scrambler (made with Eggland’s Best organic eggs).

All their marmalade is freshly made from natural ingredients and for sale.

If you don’t order anything with marscarpone, ask for a sample of it. Not too sweet, creamy and mixed with honey.

Meli Cafe & Juice Bar is open daily from 6am to 4pm. Breakfast is served all day and lunch is served after 11am. Kitchen closes at 3pm.

Moving on.

Into the 2nd best bookstore I have ever been in. The first was an American bookstore in Prague, inside a coffee shop and through a narrow hallway back into a tiny room; it was like a hidden treasure of books only the locals knew about about.

Quimby’s had art magazines, books, comics (most of them drawn by hand, some were copied pages stapled together), political materials, poetry books. It’s all the stuff you don’t talk about on the pop-culture mix.

An opinion is not manufactured in a store like this. You’re free to roam.

I could have spent hours in there. Instead I had 20 minutes to browse art magazines and pick out the ones I could possibly use later. And by use, I mean be inspired by… maybe. We’ll see.

Quimby’s Bookstore, 1854 W. North Ave., Chicago, IL 60622, tel. 773/342-0910
www.quimbys.com

No kidding. Every Saturday from 1:00-3:00pm the Rahr Brewery celebrates (really, it’s like a mini Oktoberfest) their brewery tour with style - music, drinking, and food.

And by free beer, Rahr means beers, plural. Try any three beers they have on tap that day and hang out with the good people of Fort Worth.

You don’t need a reservation, but call early in the week to make sure they don’t have a special event that Saturday. The bartender over at The Porch told me about it and their group had rented out the whole place for the day.

If you go during the summer, wear something cool because it is hot and they keep the doors open.

The place is packed with sweaty people who like to drink. Sounds like a fine place to be if you land yourself in Fort Worth for the weekend.

Rahr&Sons Brewing Company
701 Galveston Avenue
Fort Worth, TX  76104
Phone: 817.810.9266

Yesterday a couple of us from the office went to eat at the Hari Krishna Temple.

There is a restaurant inside the Temple called Kalachandji’s, acclaimed by D Magazine and by our intern Macy. It’s strictly vegan (with dairy and non-dairy items) and the menu changes everyday for lunch and dinner.Check the website for today’s menu.

The restaurant is buffet style with soup, salad, and bread bar, tofu everything, and dessert is served at the end.

They only serve water and Tamarind tea, but it is acceptable if you want to bring an outside beverage (non-alcoholic, I presume.)

The outside seating area was beautiful with trees flowing over like a canopy and a fountain in the middle, and the music made the experience truly authentic. If you go at dinner time you can hear the service from the Temple during your meal. Now that would be cool.

The buffet is reasonably priced ($7/pp) so even if you leave with the empty stomach you arrived on, at least you paid for an experience.

Kalachandji’s is located at 5430 Gurley Avenue, Dallas, TX, 75223.

Restaurant hours:
Lunch: Tuesday thru Friday 11:30am - 2:00pm; Saturday and Sunday 12:00pm - 3:00pm
Dinner: Tuesday thru Sunday 5:30pm - 9:00pm
Closed Sundays.

Last night (7/23/2008) was the second dinner lecture series hosted by the Dallas Peace Center. The guest speaker was Col. Ann Wright, known for her publicly announced resignation in protest to the war in Iraq. I was unsure of what to expect, and for a while there it seemed a bit surreal. There was a feeling of displacement while I was there, like I didn’t belong or something. There was a reason why I went - seeking more information, possibly direction, a purpose, a passion … ??? Maybe I wasn’t so sure.

Col. Wright has a passion. Mike Ghouse, the gentleman to my right has a passion. The woman to my left, Farhat, has a passion. An event had occurred in their lives to move them to take a stand. Is it always something tragic that has to happen to move a person to stand up and fight for change? I hope not.

Col. Wright was a solid speaker. She didn’t move anyone to tears, she didn’t preach, she wasn’t a motivational speaker and didn’t try coming off as this brave leader (which she is). She gave the audience facts. That’s it. Nothing about her life, or her courage, or any hardships - she talked about other people’s lives, and their braveness, their struggles. People like Robin Long, Tina Priest, and Lavina Johnston.

Long was forced to leave Canada after resisting going to war and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years. Wright stated, “Canada should be a point of refuge” and it’s up to us to put “pressure on the Canadian Parliamentarians” in order to ensure their safety. Wright had just recently been in Washington and protested at the Canadian embassy. Ironically, the Canadian Embassy has a picture of Muhammad Ali, who publicly resisted going to Vietnam in 1967.

Priest and Johnston were both killed in Iraq. The military told family and press they had committed suicide, but evidence is pointing toward sexual assault and murder. Studies have been released that 1 in 3 woman have been sexually assaulted while serving in the military. I haven’t been able to back up that number, but here’s a start with numerous links to cases and other sources can be found here.

Wright ended her speech saying this: “How can we stay silent about what’s going on and not do anything about it? We’ve got a lot of work to do”.

Wright left the stage the way she entered - with a standing ovation.

I left with a card in my pocket from the woman sitting next to me, Farhat Chishty. She has been fighting for her son and has lost everything in doing so. Please read about her son’s story and support them by joining “Justice For Haseeb Chishty” Facebook Group.

Update: Farhat and her son, Haseeb, have been featured in the Dallas Observer. Read the article for further details on their struggle and achievements.

“It’s not one person. It’s the system. They think I’m evil for being here, but the system is evil. They can’t admit that because if they do, they admit that the system is wrong.”

Tonight (7/23/2008) is the Dinner Lecture Series sponsored by the Dallas Peace Center.

The speaker is Col. Ann Wright who spent 20 years with the State Department and publicly resigned in protest of the Iraq War.

The event starts at 6:00pm and dinner will be served at 7:00pm at FunAsia in Richardson (1210 E. Beltline Rd). Tickets are $75 and there are still some left.

If you cannot make it, I will post about the lecture tomorrow.