Go Oak Cliff

Gearing up for Mardi Gras

Jason Roberts — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 05:10:29 +0000

We’re just about a month away from one of the most fun weekends in Oak Cliff! Mardi Gras Oak Cliff started with just a parade 4 years ago, which used to draw a few thousand people. Now it is a full weekend of programming, and the little ol’ parade grew to a whole new level in 2011 with an attendance of over 15,000! Be sure to grab your beads at ABC Party on Davis and head out for music, dancing, food, fun, and more! Also, there’s still time to sign up as a sponsor for the festival…head over to www.mardigrasoakcliff.com for full details.

Here is the scoop for this year’s festival:

Schedule of Events

Saturday, February 18

9 a.m. Dash for the Beads Oak Cliff’s only 5k! Register online here http://www.dashforthebeads.org/ Benefits F.I.D.O., a great group working hard to secure a dog park for our area! It begins and ends in the Bishop Arts District. There is a 5k as well as a 1 mile. Pets are encouraged!

8 p.m. OCarnivale Masquerade Ball This is an awesome party at a very affordable price! We’ll be at The Kessler for the 2nd year in a row. The entertainment is amazing. Zydeco Blanco played last year, and we danced all night. Tickets are online at http://mardigrasoakcliff.com/masquerade-ball-2/ You and your special people can have a night out with dinner starting at just $25 a person! There are additional packages available if you prefer reserved seating. The attire is everything from black tie to jeans. Wear what makes your body happy, but don’t forget a mask!

Sunday, February 19

2 p.m. Crawfish boil and party in the Bishop Arts District There will be Cajun food and lots of drink for sale in the street! Bring cash. Unlike last year, we will not be pre-selling crawfish, etc., so get ‘em while you can!

4 p.m. Parade! Enter here your float, car, or marching group here: http://mardigrasoakcliff.com/2012-oak-cliff-mardi-gras-parade/ Parade route: W Davis eastbound from Montclair to Madison, then through Bishop Arts. Line up will be at 3 p.m. Numbers will be emailed out the week prior. There will be a check in station at Polk and W 7th Street. Many thanks to the Oak Cliff Lions Club and Grand Bank of Texas for helping as “Parade Marshalls” this year! ABC Party on Davis between Edgefield and Windomere sells beads and Mardi Gras supplies at a pretty fair price.

Adamson High School football team heading to the Ticket City Bowl

Jason Roberts — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 18:55:08 +0000

Over 40 members of the Adamson High School football team will get a chance to attend the Ticket City Bowl on January 2nd at the Cotton Bowl where Houston will face off with Penn State at 11AM. The team’s tickets and trip are being sponsored by the Friends of Fair Park, the Oak Cliff Chamber of Commerce, Go Oak Cliff, and the Bishop Arts Winery and will include rides from Oak Cliff on a trolley bus, lunch, and great seats! For all those interested in helping us ensure our neighborhood kids have a memorable trip, join us on January 1st at 6PM on the balcony of 614 N. Bishop (Suite 3) Dallas ,TX 75208 where we’ll be making sandwiches and bagged lunches for the group. Email mark@miranda-realty.com to confirm attendance.

Bolsa Mercado Advances Culinary Agenda

robshearer — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 15:21:48 +0000

When Bolsa opened its doors as a restaurant almost 4 years ago, it was with the vision that they would operate both a restaurant and a gourmet market out of the same space. But as the success of the restaurant grew, the shelf space for crackers, coffees and chocolates shrank. But with the opening of Bolsa Mercado just two doors down Davis Street, that vision is now realized, and a dramatic shift for the neighborhood and the restaurant is in the works.

The Mercado features a surprisingly broad mix of dry goods and grocery staples, such as sea salts, olive oils, maple syrup aged in bourbon barrels, and more dips, spreads and sauces than you can count. The Mercado estimates more than 1000 items for sale in the grocery aisles. The large kitchen behind the market is also working on a full selection of prepared meals to go as well as fresh pastries, homemade cookies and muffins, and even house made sausages (we’ve got it on good authority that the wild boar, broccoli rabe and cherry sausage is divine).

A full coffee and espresso bar as well as a juice bar grace one wall, and refrigerated coolers on another wall house chicken, ham hock and veal stocks, homemade soups, and fresh salsas. You can also browse an impressive selection of cheeses as well as an eclectic selection of produce.

More than 130 wines and dozens of beer selections, many of which you can’t find in most stores in Dallas, make stopping at Bolsa Mercado more of an adventure of hide and seek than traditional shopping.

The impact Bolsa Mercado has on the restaurant should be significant. The Bolsa kitchen is one of the smallest in town, so with several thousand additional square feet of kitchen space behind the Mercado, Chef Jeff Harris is excited to make as many of the elements needed for Bolsa from scratch. Homemade breads, sausages, sauces and desserts will all add significant depth to the menu, keeping Bolsa competitive in an ever expanding and competitive Oak Cliff restaurant scene.

The Mercado will be open 7 days a week from 7am-9pm, and they are offering complimentary drip coffee to customers through the end of the year. Bolsa Mercado is located at 634 West Davis.

Winnetka Heights Holiday Home Tour This Saturday!

robshearer — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 17:14:52 +0000

Pull out your Christmas sweaters and socks, dust off your eggnog thermos, and purchase your tickets today for the 2011 Winnetka Heights Holiday Home Tour. The tour is this Saturday, December 3rd from noon to 6pm, and is the 25th annual Holiday Home Tour. The tour features six homes that have been beautifully decorated for the holidays, each showcasing the great beauty, craftsmanship and historic charm of Winnetka Heights, Dallas’ second largest historic neighborhood. And between the Holiday Home Tour and Jingle Bells on Bishop, there’s no better way to get in to the holiday spirit!

Tickets for the tour are available in advance for $12 on the Winnetka Heights Holiday Home Tour site, or in the Bishop Arts District at Espumoso Caffe, Hunky’s or Shambala. Tickets on the day of the tour will be $15 and may be purchased at Turner House, 401 N. Rosemont Avenue. At Turner House, visitors will also be able to participate in a silent auction, enjoy samples from Oak Cliff Coffee Roasters and Kessler Cookies, hear carollers and meet with representatives of a dog rescue group to perhaps find a new member of the family. The event begins at Noon, December 3rd and continues until 6 PM. Proceeds of the tour help the Winnetka Heights Neighborhood Association (a 501 (C) (3) organization) with their goals of fostering a safer, more attractive and better place to live.

Dallas Complete Streets effort scheduling a “Community Walk” on Dec. 3rd

Jason Roberts — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 19:44:31 +0000

This Saturday, December 3rd, the City of Dallas Complete Streets team will be inviting residents and business owners out to hold a “community walk” beginning in the Bishop Arts District (at Bishop and Davis), and heading west toward Cedar Hill Avenue. The walk will take place from 10:30AM to 1:30PM with groups reviewing the corridor throughout that window of time. “Complete Streets” projects are being developed nationwide to look at our existing infrastructure and find ways to better accommodate multiple modes of transportation (pedestrian, bicycle, public transit, auto), and to look at how to create more people-friendly areas throughout the city. More details on Complete Streets can be found here, and a full schedule of the City of Dallas’s workshops can be found here.

Rosemont Dad’s Host Golf Tournament at New Stevens Park Course

robshearer — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 19:38:15 +0000

The new and dramatically improved Stevens Park Golf Course will be the site of the first annual Rosemont Dad’s Golf Tournament on Monday, November 14, 2011. The purpose of the Rosemont Dad’s and their golf tournament is to help develop a more robust athletics program at Rosemont Elementary, including the founding of golf program at the school with the help of Stevens Park Pro Jim Henderson and Rosemont Principal Anna Brining.

Press release from the Rosemont Dad’s is below:

The Rosemont Dad’s club is trying to bring fun and athletics back in to our favorite elementary school. We are in the process of starting a golf program for Rosemont Elementary through the help and dedication of Jim Henderson (Head pro at Stevens)and Anna Brining (principal at Rosemont). With Rosemont now going thru 8th grade for the Dual-
Language Program we are really excited to bring more sports programming back to the school.

The Rosemont Dad’s club is proud to announce the First Annual Rosemont dad’s club golf tournament. The tournament is to be held Nov. 14th at 12:00 noon. We encourage everyone to play and help support our favorite neighborhood school. Sponsorships are available from $500.00 to $2500 (Title Sponsor). The entry for individual golfers is $125.00, which includes golf, cart, putting green, chipping green, golf shirt and awards dinner. For more tournament information please contact-Larry Thompson at214-356-9525 or e-mail him at Larrytdfw15@aol.com.Make checks payable to Rosemont Dad’s club and mail to 2011 Timbergrove circle, Dallas ,Texas, 75208

A House Divided – Lucia & Smoke Both In Running

robshearer — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 21:19:07 +0000

Oak Cliff eaters have to choose between Lucia and Smoke if they want to vote for a neighborhood favorite in the Eater Dallas Restaurant of the Year contest. Other nominees include Neighborhood Services, Il Cane Rosso, The Grape, Fearing’s, and pop-up restaurant Cafe Momentum. Voting takes place for just 24 hours, so cast your vote for your favorite Oak Cliff restaurant right now!

Best of luck to both Chef David Uygur at Lucia and Chef Tim Byres at Smoke. We’re lucky to have both of them right here in our neighborhood!

Campo Restaurant Opens Tonight

robshearer — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 19:51:02 +0000

You may recall a few months back rumors of a new restaurant opening next door to Jonathon’s Oak Cliff, in the old La Carreta Argentina location at 1115 North Beckley Avenue. Well it appears that Campo is set to open it’s doors to the public tonight at 6pm, and we got a sneak peak at the interior and the food over the weekend.

It’s a smallish restaurant, with only 52 seats inside and talk of a larger patio area that will eventually face Beckley. The restaurant is owned by John Paul Valverde and Miguel Vicens, owners of a Dallas based design firm called Coeval Studio, and their clean and modern design style is instantly felt when you enter the restaurant. The menu has been created by Chef Matt McCallister, formerly of Stephan Pyles and winner of the Go Oak Cliff Bastille on Bishop Mussel Cookoff this past July, and it features an interesting assortment of appetizers and entrees to choose from, including Chorizo Donuts (more like a fritter, but delicious regardless of what you call them), homemade chicharrón, and a vanilla poached tripe salad.

Chorizo Donuts

If you thought the buzz about Oak Cliff as a restaurant destination was over, prepare for a new wave of Dallas area diners finding their way to the Cliff as talk about Campo spreads throughout the city. It’s going to be a hot spot.

Campo Modern Bistro
On Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/CampOModern
Address: 1115 N Beckley Ave, Dallas TX
Phone: 214-289-6463

The 1st Annual OAK CLIFF FILM FEST announced this morning!

Jason Reimer — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 15:53:07 +0000

This morning Aviation Cinemas and the Texas Theatre is pleased to announce the 1st ever Oak Cliff Film Festival. The entire fest will be held in areas of Oak Cliff including some of its most well known spots around Bishop Arts. The home base will be the Texas Theatre and satellite locations have already been set up at the Kessler Theater, Teco Theater and Belmont Hotel.

In addition to a fantastic lineup of films, there will also be loads of other activities including music, vip parties and other entertainment announced in the coming months. Below is a copy of the press release sent out this morning and several links to follow the developments.

The Aviation Cinemas (Texas Theatre) team is proud to announce the Inaugural Oak Cliff Film Festival (www.filmOakCliff.com) , set for June 14-17^th 2012 in the burgeoning Bishop Arts District in Oak Cliff. As a natural progression from our programming efforts at the Texas Theatre, the OCFF will strive, as an international film festival, to showcase brave and independent filmmaking of all stripes including those from right here in our own backyard.

- Venues will be: The Texas Theatre, Kessler Theater, Bishop Arts Theater (formerly the Bluebird theater), and the Belmont Hotel

- Participating local sponsors include: Bolsa, Mesa, Eno’s, Oddfellows, Oak Cliff Bicycle Co., the Belmont Hotel

- Takes place June 14-17^th 2012 in the Bishop Arts area of Oak Cliff

- Will be accepting local, regional, national and international films

- Blake Ethridge, former Fantastic Fest Programmer, will be leading our Acquisitions team along with Texas Theatre Creative Director, Jason Reimer

- We are actively interviewing corporate sponsors now!

Here’s the website with submission info: www.filmoakcliff.com

Please like our facebook page here to stay up to date: http://www.facebook.com/filmoakcliff

And… follow us on twitter here: http://twitter.com/filmoakcliff (@FilmOakCliff)

YaYa Foot Spa opens in the Bishop Arts District

Jason Roberts — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 23:44:50 +0000

We have bar-b-que, sushi, specialty sodas, craft beers, in the Bishop Arts District, and as of last week we can now officially include a traditional Chinese foot spa. Nicole Isenberg, wife of longtime Oak Cliff resident and businessman Ralph Isenberg, was born and raised in North China in an area where residents would make foot spa treatments a part of their daily routine. While raising their two small children in Steven’s Park, Nicole began dreaming of setting up her own reflexology shop in the neighborhood and after researching and finding a team of specialists, set to work in transforming a small space beside Lockhart’s into her ideal spa. With cozy black loungers, relaxing music, and beautiful artwork, YaYa Foot Spa is a welcome addition to the neighborhood.

For more info on YaYa Foot Spa, visit their website at www.yayafootspa.com. They’re open seven days a week from 10AM to 11PM and take walk-ins as well as reservations. Head down today and give your feet a vacation!