In addition to some great live music and seemingly endless supplies of beer, this year’s event will kick off with our 1st Annual 1.1 Mile Beer Run. The race starts at 3:30pm at Nova Restaurant (1417 West Davis, Dallas TX) and the course proceeds down 7th Street with stops at The Kessler Theater and Bolsa before an exciting finish in the Bishop Arts District. At each stop runners will drink an 8 ounce beer before running to the next stop. The added bonus of participating in the 1.1 Mile Beer Run is that the runners will not have to wait in line in Bishop Arts for the ID check – runners get first tastes once Brew Riot begins!

The cost to sample the beers at Brew Riot is $20, and the cost to participate in the 1.1 Mile Beer Run (which includes your admission to Brew Riot) is $35. Beer Mile finishers also receive a 1.1 sticker so you can brag about your athletic accomplishment to your friends and family. There is no on-site registration for the Beer Run – you must register in advance and have paid your fee. No exceptions!

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A lot of people are very unhappy with what they believe is happening at Winfrey Point, and as a Park Board Member, representing District 3, I have information that I would like to share in an attempt to clarify information that has been either misreported, misrepresented or misunderstood. In addition, both the Arboretum and the City of Dallas have made press releases that are very informative.

The ever growing popularity of White Rock Lake and the Dallas Arboretum have caused parking issues in the area, largely on the East side of the lake. Visitors sometimes park in the neighborhoods around the lake, creating inconvenience for some of the neighboring residents. The Arboretum and the City of Dallas have explored many options for alleviating these parking issues, and many proposals have been made. The Arboretum itself has done, what I personally believe to be a very good job of arranging for off-site parking and using shuttles to address their parking issues directly.

What was presented to, and approved by, the Park and Recreation Board was a proposal to allow temporary, unimproved parking, up to 400 spaces, at Winfrey Point as needed due to demand resulting from the Chihuly exhibit and eventually the new children’s garden currently under construction. This move was intended to ameliorate the local resident issues and provide an orderly and strategic means of dealing with the parking issues in the area.

I have seen a number of very beautiful images taken from the building at Winfrey Point, looking toward the lake, exhibiting the lovely terrain and flora that exist there. Parking in this area has neither been proposed or approved. The approved temporary parking area is off of Emerald Isle, and will in no way impact the vista that has been so popularly represented on Social Media sites like Facebook. In addition, the parking areas will not be paved. This has neither been proposed or approved.

There has been a lot of talk about a parking garage. This was a concept provided by a consulting firm to the Arboretum, along with a number of other concepts. No proposal for a parking garage at Winfrey Point has been presented to, or approved in any way, by the Park & Recreation Board. There are currently 3 baseball diamonds and an existing parking lot on the site where the parking lot concept was drawn. The little leagues that play on those diamonds have multiple years left on their agreement, and the activity at those diamonds has been healthy and generally well-received. In addition, the city has invested significant money toward the construction and maintenance of those diamonds, and there is no movement to remove them for additional parking.

Lastly, a great deal has been said about the importance of the “blackland prairie” that allegedly exists at Winfrey Point. I have heard multiple conflicting reports about this, and am admittedly not an expert myself. What I can say with certainty is this: the area in question currently gets mowed twice a year as fire prevention control. Even if there had never been any approval to create temporary parking, this area would be mowed twice a year. The same area used to be mowed even more often (and I’ve been told that a number of neighborhood residents complained then that it wasn’t mowed frequently enough), and the Park & Recreation Department planted some grasses, plus Wildflowers in this area (and many others around the city) in order to reduce their mowing expenses as an overall cost-saving strategy. I have also been told informally that the area in question has been used for parking in the past, and anecdotally, my own Mother and Father told me over dinner last night that as teenagers and young adults, they used to park on Winfrey Point all the time. I made a conscious decision to not ask them why however.

Best regards to everyone who took the time to read this, and please feel free to ask me any questions you have, or express any ongoing concerns, if you are able to do so in a respectful way.

Sincerely,

Michael Reagan
District 3 Park Board Member

 

So imagine my pleasant surprise when I stumbled into CampO for brunch one recent Sunday morning and found no wait and a menu full of interesting and tasty options. The founders of CampO are originally from Argentina, and this informs a unique sensibility into the restaurant and in particular the menu. Leave traditional pancakes and waffles to Jonathon’s next door, but don’t assume this means a less than delicious brunch experience.

The menu is quirky, broken into 4 categories with 4 price points. You can choose a la carte or they’ve put together a few combinations that afford you a slight discount.

The Croque-Madame. Photo by Elliott Munoz.

Category A includes a standout order of Sweet Johnny Cakes with whipped cream and smoked candied maple bacon bits for $9. The standouts in category B include the cheddar grits with shrimp, the croquet madame, and the buttermilk biscuits fried egg sausage sandwich. Each of these entrée sized options are priced at $12 each and are all outstanding.

Buttermilk Biscuit Fried Egg Sausage Sandwich. Photo by Elliott Munoz.

Category C and category D offer small sides and desserts, including house sausage, buttermilk biscuits, churros and an incredibly creamy yogurt panna cotta with lemon curd, ranging from $4 to $5 each.

But brunch is not just about great food – and thankfully CampO has a selection of seven adult beverages to help you shake off any issues lingering from Saturday night. A traditional Bloody Mary with a shot of house chile sauce has a nice kick, but the North Bloody Mary with oyster, shrimp and house pickled celery was our table favorite. Mimosas and micheladas (chilandro, salt house chile sauce, lime & a lager beer) also seemed to be popular options.

North Bloody Mary. Photo by Elliott Munoz.

The thing about CampO is, it’s not a restaurant that can be judged by a quick glance at the menu. The items are unique in name, but you’ll find that the ingredients and the composition should make them brunch favorites for any crowd.

CampO is located at 1115 North Beckley Avenue just up from Spiral Diner and Jonathon’s and serves brunch on Sundays from 10am-3pm.

But we promise that we’re back and ready for more posts about more good stuff going on in the Cliff. We’ve got reports coming about the possible permanent closing of the Houston Street bridge to vehicular traffic – leaving it to streetcars and bikes/ pedestrians! We’ve got reviews of new restaurants and a few oldies but goodies. We’ve got new information about the independent bookstore coming to Davis Avenue. These are great days in Oak Cliff, and we hope to do a better job keeping you posted on what’s going on!

Stay tuned and stick around!

Schedule of Events

Saturday, February 18

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!

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.

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.

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