So I went to Spiral Diner last weekend and absolutely loved it. I had the barbecue chicken sandwich (really marinated, grilled seitan with homemade barbecue sauce) and it was tangy and toothsome and good. Didn't taste like meat, but I wasn't expecting it to. The best part was that you could order seasonal fruit on the side -- it's nice to have apples instead of french fries sometimes, you know? Especially when a girl has to fit into a little dress. And, you know, the whole healthy-heart thing.
Other Spiral Diner goodies: The agave limeade, the black bean burrito, and the chocolate chip cookies. The latter were fluffy and almost looked like cake, but they had the dense texture of a cookie. Interesting. Wonder what's in there.
On a not-so-heart-healthy note, but a FABULOUS one nonetheless, you have to try Don Panza in Oak Cliff. It's the only Argentinean pizza joint in this whole damn city. And totally worth the drive, if you don't live anywhere near there. Toppings include ham and blue cheese and garlic, and other weird things Argentines like on their pizza. Their empanadas, pictured above, are all savory. They are to die for -- covered in a crispy, flaky crust, and stuffed with meat or meat/cheese combo. The little numbers distinguish which flavors are which, so you don't have to take a bite and pass it on.
If only they served Quilmes, I would seriously be there every night. Or one night at Spiral Diner and one night there. But Don Panza doesn't have a liquor license, so it's BYOB.
If you go to DP, expect leisurely service. That's like Argentina, too.
I'm going to spoil the ending of my column today in Quick: Turns out, it is indeed possible to spend less than $20 on a night out on Lower Greenville. (Yay for the pocketbook!) The question is -- are the bars any good?
That's totally subjective, but overall I wasn't the hugest fan of most of the places we went to. They couldn't decide if they were a club or a bar. The Service Bar felt like a pub, with free popcorn, cheap drinks, pool, etc. But the music was too loud to have any real conversation.
Malibu actually had some neat island-inspired decor. I could totally see myself going there and sipping on a fruity drink and listening to music from a jukebox. Again, though, it was a nightclub, with flashing lights, loud music, etc. ("Loud music"? God, I sound old.) It was empty at 11:30 p.m. on a Friday.
The whole experience made me wonder: Who actually hangs out in these bars? Is it college students? People who live in the neighborhood? People who don't know any better? (Tourists?) Gezellig, the Cavern, the Libertine, Billiard Bar and Zubar draw people from all over the city. But who is it that's keeping all the other places between Ross and Belmont in business?
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