Mother nature may be toying with Dallas this week. The one holiday of the year when clear skies are most crucial may bring sparks of a different nature. But cross your fingers and try to catch one of the following exciting festivities:

• Fourth of July Picnic in the Garden at the Dallas Arboretum – Sunday, July 4th 12-4pm
• Patriotic Pops with the Plano Symphony Orchestra at the Eisemann Center – Sunday, July 4th, 3-5pm
• Red, White & Boom in McKinney (parade, entertainment, and fireworks) – Sunday, July 4th  1- 10:30pm
• Fourth of July Jubilation in Denton (gutter boats, horseshoes, hotdog eating,  swimming, and fireworks)
• Family Fourth Celebration in Richardson – Sunday, July 4th 6-10:15pm
• Plano Independence Day Parade – Saturday, July 3rd
• Frisco Freedom Fest (party, music, food, and fireworks) – Saturday, July 3rd
• Kaboom Town in Addison (music, food, and fireworks) – Saturday, July 3rd 5pm-midnight
• Festive Fourth in Farmer’s Branch (Emerald City concert, concession stands, and fireworks)- Saturday, July 3rd 6:30pm-end fireworks
• Star Spangled Spectacular at Firewheel Town Center in Garland (jazz and fireworks) – Saturday, July 3rd, 4-9pm (and stop by Cha & Tea for some delicious!)
• Fair Park July 5th – better late than never (Dallas Wind Symphony, concession, and fireworks) – Monday, July 5th 6-10pm

MeVs wishes everyone an eventful Fourth (third and fifth)!

Guest writer Stephanie C. recants her tales from Saturday.

I had my doubts, after all it is Dallas. And still, my natural inclination is to be a Dallas hater and complain and write about the few things that would help what is hopefully the first annual Homegrown Festival grow into its own for years to come. But, dammit…we had fun. It was cool, cool for Dallas at least.

A Late Start
MeVs didn’t arrive until late afternoon. I won’t lie, the heat of the day kept us away.  Perhaps that is the reason for the sparse crowd early on.  Had we known of the fountains or the covered mist patio,  we probably would have sauntered out there earlier. Wish we had, actually. I’ll blame that on the lack of information on the website. Apparently, Homegrown’s Facebook page was the place to go for questions. Wish we’d known that too.

The Music
Two stages, 14 bands, all things local down to the beer and artist tents. Dallas’s very own local acts, which I had forgotten Dallas had, and judging by the public’s responsiveness have been sorely missed.  This was immediately apparent in the in the amount of hip swaying, head bobbing, and singing that was going on while The O’s played during the remaining daylight hours in the concrete corporate-ness that is downtown Dalla.s Even so, it was so good to see, and felt so good to partake in for that matter. The evening cooled and the always late-arriving Dallas crowd finally started to show when Ishi took the stage and transferred their energy to a surprisingly receptive Dallas audience.  By nightfall, the crowd couldn’t hold back anymore. Headliner, Jonathan Tyler & the Northern Lights got Dallas to sing and dance their hearts out, no easy feat by any means.  The feel-good authenticity of this night made it, well, downright homegrown-like.

A Humble Beginning
As night fell and the sound (which by this point was much better) ricocheted off of what has oft defined Dallas: skyscrapers, we couldn’t help but feel a little excited. I sincerely hope that this wasn’t a big Dallas tease. Last year’s reopening of Trees, the promise of both Main Street and (the planned) Deck Park, and the steady streaming of local music flowing into venues such as City Tavern or the Double Wide is, for now, enough to get one a-buzz. Dallas’s potential for spotlighting a music scene that’s been largely left in the shadows of its towering skyline was for a few hours that night in full view. So, we’ll jump on the bandwagon of folks that have added “first annual” to Homegrown Fest and cross our fingers. Dallas, please don’t let us down.

-Stephanie C.

Stephanie C., a local teacher and Dallas native, exclaims her distaste for the Deep Ellum disaster and its declining state.

Deep Ellum once considered a hub for bohemian art and culture is, as of late, better known for their assortment of parking woes rather than la vie boheme.

The newest parking nuance nuisance is parking on unapproved surfaces. As if concert goers, art patrons, and the like don’t already have enough to worry about! First, there’s the ever so diligent meter police, where you’ll get ticketed for parking in Deep Ellum when elsewhere in Dallas evenings and weekends are free. Then, there are those parking lots that boot; whose enforcement, incidentally, has yet to come into compliance with the city’s new ordinance (chapter 48c), requiring receipt systems. Now you must make sure that the unmarked piece of land you have parked on is at least six inches of concrete, asphalt, or gravel with a border, per Dallas city code. So along with those tickets to the show, make sure you grab a ruler or a city code handbook to help you find a parking spot that’s legit. Afterall, there’s no app for that… yet. All way too much for someone just trying to enjoy some local flavor. All way too sad for an area that fully vetted, could reclaim its reputation as the artistic and musical hotbed it once was.

Instead, Deep Ellum has become a battle zone: meter mob versus music lover. Take Brandon Hancock for instance, whose story first ran in the Dallas Morning News’ East Dallas Blog. Hancock and another 100 or so attendees received tickets for parking on “unapproved surfaces” while at a show at Sons of Hermann Hall in late April. These particular surfaces, or empty lots rather, are on property deemed as private. Hancock’s questions now as he takes his case to local court are whether the city has the jurisdiction to issue citations on private property, and if so, why are taxpayers funding parking enforcement for private landowners? As of Friday, May 7th Hancock’s ticket has been suspended pending further investigation.

You are apt to find more information on where NOT to park on Dallas mainstay, Sons of Hermann Hall’s, website. That is not only entirely backwards but signals a dilemma of sorts for the many struggling businesses and venues. But, what can one do? Be lame? Complain? Miss out on the goodness that actually is there? It’s not their fault anyways! Next time, do what I will. Bring change, and lots of it. Look for parking lots that offer receipt systems. Get involved! The Deep Ellum Foundation and other local organizations charged with rejuvenating this area are always looking for those that are policitically inclined to help the cause. And if that is just a little too much effort, then just do what’s recommended by some of these local business owners themselves. Try out Dart’s new green line that now serves Deep Ellum. Hopefully, it will prove to offer up a solution and not just more fodder for internet bloggers.

-Stephanie C.

We hear ya, Stephanie. Take a break from the urban music madness, and join us at any of the upcoming summer festivals!

Good Idea: Going for a swim to cool off on a Texas summer day.

Bad Idea: Paying $30/month for a gym membership for pool access.

…and that is why MeVersus has compiled a list of easily accessible swimming pools… for cheap!

Dallas: $1 – 11 and under, and $2 – 12 and over.

Richardson: FREE – 5 and under, $2 – everyone else

Plano: pricing varies, $2-3

Mesquite: pricing varies, FREE – $4

Garland: pricing varies, FREE – $3

Although listed under Garland, I’d like to call special attention to:

Surf and Swim: $5/6 – Four-acre aquatic complex, a half million gallon wave pool. Enough said.

Meversus held its first annual crawfish party entitled “O’ Dang, Sha-bang”. Needless to say, it was a great success. Copious amounts of plastic wrap engulfing our furniture made for a quick and entertaining cleanup.

Quick shout-outs:

Acemart Restaurant Supply – for helping us realize our Dexter-like dream without suspicious questions.

Fiesta Mart – to Erica, of the seafood dept. For holding our 40lbs of crawfish in the back until I could arrive. “These much biggest ones.”

Everyone – for coming out and helping us have a great time.

Sunday – for being the detox day of the weekend. It’s rare I get to spend a Sunday, devoted to Sunday. Cheers.

Draft magazine

Not your average yuppie-filled pub, the Amsterdam is a low-key, TV-free zone where you can concentrate on the drinking menu full of beers (try the Live Oak Hefe Weizen brewed in Austin). Kick it inside the airy, high ceilinged bar, or out on the patio during that nice Texas weather–just watch out for beer-juggling bartenders.

Amsterdam Bar, located at 831 Exposition Avenue, is your neighborhood Cheers, where even Sheldon, one of the best bartenders in town knows your name. The atmosphere is always friendly and the girls are hipster-ishly cute. With very little pretentiousness if any at all, this place has been my Austin away from Austin for a couple months now. It lies in the struggling but regrowing area of Fair Park next to Victory Sport Taekwondo, and Rob’s Chop Shop and offers an array of draft choices served with a hat-trick and  smile. Prices are very competitive, which makes it very difficult to try any of the other nearby establishments.

Bonus: Monday nights include free jazz from a handful of musicians. According to the Amsterdam blog, the lineup is based on the members of The Shelley Carrol quartet, but the lineup changes weekly as individuals take a night off and friends and guests sit in for a set or even for the entire evening.

Got the case of the Mondays? Come out and chill with the cool cats at Amsterdam. And if you’re feeling a little hesitant about the heavy drinking, try the ACE Pear Cider, described by one patron as “liquid candy”.

We started out at Green Elephant, a local dive bar we stumbled upon serendipitously. Initially, a very chill place, huge real estate, and a great backyard complete with hammock and couch.

Reason why we left instantly: dedicated dj playing electronic music all night.

Don’t get me wrong, I can enjoy the occasional trance, house, even breakbeat, but I can assure you, this was no atmosphere for the club scene. A classic case of identity crises.

After that trial and error, we headed over to The Barley House for $2 pints. Anything on draft for $2. This would be the greatest beverage deal I’ve encountered in Dallas on a Tuesday save one thing, their beer shipment didn’t make it and they were out of 90% of their draft choices. Being a pub, this really hurts one’s choices. That combined with the “holiday” at hand and you have some pretty discontent, thirsty customers.

We made the best of the night, planned only to have some “research drinks” for MeVersus but ended up having a few more throughout the night just to wash the disappointment down.

Usually a decent place to unwind after a hard day’s work, The Barley House let me down last night when the pressure was on. As for Green Elephant, the jury’s still out. (Hammocks at a bar, you have me pulling for ya).

Guidelive categorizes Perry’s as a four-star restaurant, which automatically predisposes diners to reject the idea of even stepping into the restaurant for the fear of losing their wallets in the cavernous space of the malicious economic giant. (That was a mouthful.) I don’t want to mislead anyone into thinking a small price won’t have to be paid. But for intricate service, overwhelmingly hearty servings,  and a bill that is pleasantly surprising, I can’t complain.

I wasn’t too impressed with the stuffiness exuding from the classically decorated walls. It was glaringly obvious Perry’s isn’t the t-shirts, jeans and cowboy boots kind of place. Well, maybe if they’re Hugo Boss boots. And having been to a few of these upscale restaurants before, I expected minuscule portions made for Polly Pocket (the old school one whose house fits in the palm of your hand, not the pop-cartoon rendition Mattel’s selling today). It’d take at least a three-course meal to get me even remotely full. I decided to order Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes to start and the Tempura Lobster for my main course. My company had Calamari with Sweet Thai Sauce and the Prime Cowboy Ribeye.

Boy, oh boy! Does Perry surprise. The portions were… the only word to really describe it here… ginormous! I was pretty much done after the crab cakes – two disks of chewy crab meat, each the size of a regulation coaster. The grain mustard rémoulade was the perfect companion to balance the cakes. It was truly an explosion of flavor in every bite. The lobster had to have been at least a two-pounder. The thickness intimidated me a little, but I still dove in. It was a little bland for my taste, but the tarragon béarnaise sauce complimented it nicely. The calamari was perfectly crispy. I wasn’t a big fan of the sauce, but if you like a little sweetness in your meal, it would definitely hit the spot. The steak, at a whopping 23 oz, was a delight. Cooked just right, the meat was pleasurably tender and juicy. You may request any of their specialty sauces if A1 is getting a little boring for you.

The presentation was truly awe-inspiring. The bill came out to be $109; but with portions that big, I’m wondering if the profit margin is even that high. Well done, Perry’s. (Pun intended.)

With taquerías on the brain, DeepUpYourEllum and I had to hit up a new gastro adventure. El Rincon De Villa, located on the corner of Greenville and Park ln., offers the menu selection of a taquería with the environment of a sit-down restaurant. Its (Poncho Villa) themed decor was clever and unique. Though I can not testify for the cow-tongue taco, my usual pastors and barbicoas were quite satisfying.

In contrast to La Michoacana, I just couldn’t buy into the whole experience. El Rincon was just in limbo somewhere  between fancy and grass roots. The prices were a bit harsh (fresh oj for $5, no refills) and the atmosphere quite dreary. I liked the hustle and bustle of the market that La Michoacana provided.

VS.

Coming off a fresh win, La Michoacana stands victorious once again, reigning (thus far) as the best taquería in Dallas. Prove me wrong.

Being from Texas, the best Tex-Mex I’ve ever had has been on street corners. Similar to the mobile sno-cone trailers, these mini buildings on wheels are choice for enjoying a wide variety of tacos, tortas, burritos, etc.  Less overhead, one or two employees, the costs saved is carried on to us, making everything on the menu extremely affordable. Since moving to Dallas, I have yet to encounter a prized local establishment.

Since my last taquería review I have been to a couple others including La Michocana. Located on Greenville and Blackwell, this meat market offers a wide variety of assorted Mexican eats. I didn’t get a chance to peruse their produce as much, but I can attest that their tacos are fabulosos. At under $2 each, it’s hard to deny the mouthful of awesome for such a sweet price.

Though La Paloma made a good showing,  I just wasn’t feeling their CMYK makeover on the gas station that was once there. Inconvenient vehicle access also makes it quite a battle predicting when to exit 75.

With ample menu selections and a full mercado to culturally explore in, the choice is oh so fácil. La Michocana for the win.

Also, check out their sweet website. >> La Michoacana Meat Market