Back Talk Preston Hollow

W.T. White student to host "School Zone Dallas"

W.T. White parents, you might spot a familiar face on your TV soon. Senior Flaviano Graciano has landed the gig as co-host for this year’s "School Zone Dallas".
The DISD-student anchored newscast (which has won The Lone Star Emmy, mind you) launches this Wednesday, Sept. 3, on WFAA Channel 8 at 6:30 p.m. The show will cover several DISD school programs and people. "School Zone Dallas" will air two other times this year—just check the website for a complete listing.
Congrats to the all the Long Horns out there. I'm sure they're proud of their budding Walter Cronkite, and rightfully so.

St. Vincent de Paul Back-to-School Bash this weekend

If you’re among the Preston Hollow parents with kids who just went back to school, heads up: There’s a neighborhood party right up your alley this weekend.
Saturday, Aug. 30, the folks at the St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store are hosting a big celebration from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. for Preston Hollow neighbors.
There will be free dental screenings, immunizations, and haircuts for all the kids--plus all sorts of fun activities, goodies and entertainment. 

Restaurant review: Fish City Grill

Yesterday I stopped into Fish City Grill at the Preston Royal Shopping Center for lunch. It was just past noon and there was already a line out the door. Luckily, the longtime Preston Hollow neighbor I was with is a regular here. He suggested we sit at the bar because there’s never a wait for seating: a good insiders’ tip to keep in mind if you go during the lunch rush.
I went with a blackboard special of the day, blackened tilapia. It wasn’t over-seasoned like fish tends to be, and it was nice and charred, just how I like it. And for $7, it was a good size portion. It came with grilled veggies and rice, which get an honorable mention, but they didn’t blow me away (but do rice and veggies ever really?)
My dining companion had the burger. That seems like an odd thing to order if you’re at a seafood joint, but like I said, he’s a regular so he’s tried just about everything else on the menu. He tells me everything here is good, including that burger. In fact, he insists this is the one of the best bangs for your buck in Preston Hollow: the food is good, and fairly priced. After my lunch there, I’d have to say I agree.

Jacques Pepin, Martin Yan sold out

Don’t count on seeing either chef, stars of public TV and the cookbook circuit, when they appear at the Lovers Lane Central Market in the fall. Both of their cooking classes have long been sold out.

In fact, scheduling is so tight that I have been told that maybe, if I’m lucky, I can get 10 minutes to interview Pepin. If you still feel compelled to go, they will be signing their new cookbooks when they’re at Central Market (if you buy the book at Central Market, of course). Yan will probably sign as part of his 6:30 p.m. class on Sept. 19, says the chain’s Aimee Deputy, but details aren’t final. Pepin will sign at 7:45 p.m. on Oct. 8.

Wanted: Hillcrest homecoming parade marshal

Hillcrest mom Amy Severson is looking for a neighbor to serve as the grand marshal at this year's homecoming parade. According to her blog, she's looking for someone "who is an alumni, who is well known to the community, and who has 2 hours to spare on Friday, October 17th." If you meet at least one of those qualifications, she wants to hear from you.
So far, the wish list of candidates include NBC 5's Brendan Higgins, D Magazine's Eric Celeste, and Dallas Morning News' Kevin Sherrington. You'll notice yours truly didn't make the list. Ouch. Oh well, maybe next year (hint, hint).
Amy tells me that Sherrington will likely get the nomination. My vote for this year goes to him as well. I've never met him, but I do know his wife Debbie and she's lovely. Plus he's a Hillcrest dad so there's a strong school tie.
Oh, and in case you're curious, the theme for this year is 'red carpet Hollywood.' It should be a good time so mark your calendars now.

Rename Dallas for Cesar Chavez? That's what Schutze says

He says he means it, and so I guess we'll take him at his word: How about renaming the city of Dallas after the late California migrant worker organizer. At least, that's Jim Schutze's take on the whole Industrial to Ross to Chavez conundrum in the Observer this week. My favorite part of the column, which talks about the rationale for the change and the implications — Jerry Jones would soon be marketing the "Cesar Chavez Cowboys", just in time for the North Texas Super Bowl!

Home prices: A tale of the headlines

We follow home prices quite closely here, whether it’s a national report, regional news, or our analysis of home prices in your neighborhood. So this week’s news that Dallas-area home prices declined another 3.2 percent, according to the respected S&P/Case-Shiller survey, is worth noting.

But what may be even more interesting is how this story gets reported. Is it any wonder the subject is so confusing?

Ross Avenue rename: So that's what a smoke-filled room looks like

Interesting take on the Cesar Chavez/Ross Avenue renaming process in the Observer's blog today, as Sam Merten walks through the backstage theatrics of how we arrived at a point where some city street — maybe any street except for Industrial — apparently has to be named to honor Chavez and to save face for the council's Hispanic politicians. Among the interesting points: Apparently the city's Trinity River Corridor Project committee got together before the street name vote, decided to link the two votes together (one to rename Industrial, the other to rename Ross) and then essentially traded votes among the group to ensure that everyone supported everyone else's agenda — as one Observer commenter point out, isn't there a requirement for open meetings to keep this stuff from happening? Mayor Tom Leppert continues to pull his invisible man routine on this issue, failing to provide some public leadership on a way out of this politically idiotic tradeoff. Maybe he's in Italy looking for another steel supplier for the bridge...

Mama Mia: special sing along screening at NorthPark

If you feel like belting out Abba every time you watch "Mama Mia!", you're not alone. There are so many of you, in fact, that theaters across the country have started doing special sing along screenings. One of those screenings is happening in our neighborhood this week--so if you're a self-proclaimed musical star in the making, here's the scoop:
This Friday, Aug. 29, all the screenings of "Mama Mia" at AMC NorthPark 15 will be sing alongs. Every time there's a musical breakout in the movie, the song lyrics will appear at the bottom of the screen. Then you (and all the other Abba fans) start singing Karaoke style. Oh boy, better start warming up those vocal cords now.

A Labor Day respite: Free Day of Yoga

Yoga studios across the metro area are offering free yoga classes this coming Monday, Sept. 1. The goal of the event is to allow people to try yoga for the first time, try a new instructor, or try a different type of yoga. (I had no idea how many types there were until I read this incredibly helpful Real Simple article — and this list isn't exhaustive.)

The complete schedule includes a few right around our neighborhood — try one at Goodbody's Yoga Center in Inwood Village, Park Cities Yoga at Lovers and the Tollway, Sunstone Yoga in Preston Forest Village and Yoga for Life at Preston and 635.   

The day ends with a giant sun salutation class in the new One Arts Plaza downtown. Namaste.