Dallas – Big Hat, No Cattle

I’m in Dallas this week, and I have to say I haven’t eaten this much meat in a long time. Most of it, I have to say, was pretty good, though of course one stands out.

If you are in Dallas and you eat meat, you have to go to Mac’s. The owner’s father started the place in the forties, so they’ve had a little while to get it right. This place is the real, paper-napkin, formica, regular-named-earl (not kidding) deal.

3933 Main St, Dallas TX 75226

That’s all for now, I gotta pack.

Moving Again: It’s Official

At long last and after much conjecture, I am here to tell you that I am moving to the Bay Area.

Sorry, Seattle, you’re too far from work, a little too dark and rainy and P would probably end up working at Tully’s.

And I have to admit that even though Los Angeles makes me want to stab myself in the eye somtimes, I feel very much a Californian these days.

So I’m headed to the city by the bay this weekend. I’m looking up some old friends and acquaintances, and hope to meet some new ones. I’ll be analyzing cities, neighborhoods and restaurants, and sniffing around the food microcosms I know are all over the place up there.

If anybody wants to have coffee or has a recommendation, as always, click “contact me” at the top of the page.

Listening: Whatever hipster music is playing here at Groundworks Coffee in Hollywood. They played “Fade Into You” earlier; very nostalgic.

Radio Free Seattle

Sorry I’ve been incommunicado. I’m in Seattle working, and I’ve barely slept for the last ten days (until this morning).

I even learned a new word for when the first day of the load in melds with the next: Smonday.

I am pretty much spending today eating, so I’ll let you know how it goes. Meanwhile, [here's a pretty funny explanation of why your pancakes might suck](http://blog.kingarthurflour.com/2009/03/19/light-lemony-luscious/) from the always – a – chuckle PJ Hamel.

Snails, Lies and Videotape

Breakfast Radishes

Many years ago- for a very brief time- I lived in the [San Joaquin Valley](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Joaquin_Valley), near the foothills, among thousands of acres of peaches and plums. We had all sorts of flora and fauna there, not the least terrifying of which were black widow spiders. ”Oh, just don’t bother them,” my ex told me confidently, as if I were about to cover my wrists with pig’s blood and run into the webs.

Well, I killed a pretty sizable spider *a casa* the other day, not a black widow, but gray, hairy and with discernable incisors.

So, I guess what I’m saying is, we have spiders.

More interestingly from a gastronomic standpoint, though, we also have snails. Neither I nor my neighbor use any sort of chemicals in our gardens, so they’re presumably safe to eat. I even cleaned fresh snails once, a million years ago. You put them in a bowl and cover them with cornmeal so they purge whatever they’ve got in them, and after a while you boil them, then drag them out of the shells with a pin. I’m sure there’s more to it than I remember, but i’ll find that out.

On the flight here (we’re broadcasting from the East Coast today), there was one of those Jet Blue NY Times Presents things, which sometimes are interesting and sometimes a total bust. On this trip, it was a fascinating panel discussion between [Dan Barber](http://www.stonebarnscenter.org/sb_about/staff.aspx?ContentID=12), Rick Schneider- CEO of SYSCO, [Nina Planck](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nina_Planck) and someone else who has slipped my mind; moderated by former NY Times food critic [Amanda Hesser](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amanda_Hesser) (who, regardless of how I may feel about her, did an ok job).

I’ve been thinking about doing a podcast. Any thoughts?