Eric Whitacre

I liked this so much I stole it -- from my son's blog:

From The Art of Choices blog: This second one is not for the faint of heart. It is fifteen minutes of utter harmonic bliss. Full of what have become known as Whitacre chords which are repeating diatonic clusters of Major triads with seconds and occasionally perfect fourths above. It is called When David Heard and the words are from 2 Samuel 18:33. It had not been set to music by any major composer for over four hundred years until Whitacre composed this. It's a very dramatic and powerful piece full of the wailing of a father losing his son. Do not listen to this piece unless you have the fifteen minutes to spare to fully enjoy the beauty and scope of the entire piece. Enjoy 

Not everyone will like this but for those who like complex harmonies sung VERY well, this is as good as it gets. (BYU singers, Lynn).

A few lessons learned, 1000 posts later.

I started this blog 1000 posts ago.

I did so because I like to write, I like to eat, I like to talk about food, and I wanted to learn what this new medium called blogging was all about. I had never read another food blog, as a matter of fact, I'm not sure if I had read a blog post of any kind.

Now, anyone who writes wants to think that he or she can write something worth reading, at least once in a while. Even though that goal is yet unreached on these pages, I have learned about blogging while trying. In particular:

1. Writing well is damned hard.
2. Posting something that is even remotely interesting to read, written well or not, is damned harder.
3. Most food blog readers are looking for an opinion: "Yes, I liked it," or "No I didn't like it."
4. The writing pros are right: cut the adverbs and adjectives.
5. If you have an opinion and you make it public someone will criticize not only your opinion but you for having said opinion.
6. Sooner or later you're going to say something stupid and something you regret saying. In my case, this is a frequent occurrence.
7. You are not the person people think you are if they only read your blog.
8. In re-writing, there is a point of diminishing returns, at some point you're making the piece worse.
9. Be happy with having just a pretty good, local, food blog. Mark Bittman is in no danger of losing his job.
10. You never know which posts will be the most read. "How to Make Oatmeal, Properly." is the most popular post in 4 years. Second is "Zestfest, 2009." The first is a recipe, the second is an announcement. Not exactly inspired writing, if you get my meaning.

For fellow blog writers who are interested in blog statistics, here are mine:

1. 1000 posts in almost 4 years
2. Of the 1000, about 200 pieces have never been publicly posted, they are, usually, opinion pieces of a  philosophical, political, or religious nature, or attempts at humor (emphasis on attempt). 
3. About 65% of readers come from search engines.
4. This blog gets 350 - 400 page views a day 
5. I have made $200 from the Google ads. That's about 20 cents per post. Each post takes me between 15 minutes to an hour to write. The longer, more essay-like posts take days and sometimes weeks.

I have made many friends through this blog, most of whom I have met but some not, and most of whom I would have never met if not for the blog. For that I am very grateful. I don't know if other bloggers feel that way, but I do.

Thanks for reading.

Share:

Happy Easter, 2011.

Granbury Wine Walk. April 29 - 30, 2011.

I like Granbury, and I like that part of Texas that's easing its way into the Hill Country. So, I am happy to help promote next weekend's, Granbury Wine Walk.

At $20 for two days, it looks like a great deal. The following is from their Press Release:

The 2011 Granbury Wine Walk, to be held on Friday and Saturday, April 29-30, will be featuring the most popular Texas wineries, gourmet cuisine from DFW’s prominent chefs and unique neighborhood restaurants, along with an eclectic mix of live music and art exhibitions from regionally acclaimed artists. The cost is $20 per person for a two-day ticket ($15 if purchased in advance), with proceeds benefiting Tarleton State University’s Langdon Cultural and Educational Center – the community’s cultural hub that supports and showcases music and the arts from regionally and nationally renowned artists.
Culinary patrons can ‘Swirl, Sip and Stroll’ through the intimate Square where they can taste and sample Texas wines paired with palatable foods from the Square’s boutique eateries, while enjoying live music and art exhibits along the Wine Walk. An education station will also be available for those curious to learn more about grape growing and Texas wineries. Many of the wineries will also offer their wines for sale by the glass or bottle. In addition, local downtown shops and restaurants will have special offers for Wine Walk attendees to shop and dine.

Of course, there will be plenty of good food for the festivities. See the website for more information.

Granbury Wine Walk
201 E. Pearl Street C-200
Granbury, Texas USA 76048
817-579-9181 (local)

Searches. Not Google.

Life is full of searches, indeed, it is an endless succession of searches.

It begins with childhood, looking out the front door for another boy or girl looking out their front door. And it never stops: a boy friend, girl friend, a job, a husband or wife, another husband or another . . . (kidding). A house and a neighborhood to live a life. Schools for the kids, little league, Church, a Doctor, a mechanic and plumber. We never stop looking for a dependable plumber.

We search, we find, we lose, we search again.

And then there is that somewhat sub-conscious search of adulthood. The search for home after we leave home. The lucky ones find it, many do not.

Everyone must find his or her own way in this world, do his own searches, then, later in life, after the success and failure, you return to the old place and remember the past in light of the present. Yesterday's sounds, smells, faces, they'll all be there, but in a movie-like way.

At least, that's the way I see it.

Share

A little love for the Old Neighborhood Grill.

photo from www.fortworthsouth.org

I hate to start with a side note, but in the "Why I love this English Language" department, a little etymology of the "neigh" in "neighborhood," would be an interesting search. Not only is there a silent "gh," but an A sound from an "ei." See also sleigh, freight, eight, but not slate, great, or ate. As Mike Rhyner says, weird.

Be that as it may -- the Old Neighborhood Grill.

I had a late lunch there the other day with a few guys. I've been to Neighborhood Grill maybe four or five times. And what I like about them is that they named their restaurant appropriately. It is a neighborhood place and guests are treated that way. I was early for our lunch and was greeted with "grab a drink we'll get a table set-up."

This is a place with an on-site owner who is making sure that his customers are treated like customers. Neighborhood Grill is counter-order and server-service and that's okay by me as well.

I had an Old Neighborhood Grill cheeseburger for the first time and I have to say it was very good.

But the reason I liked the place more than anything was that we sat there for an hour and were treated like neighbors. And that's hard to find anymore.

Old Neighborhood Grill
1633 Park Place Ave
Fort Worth, TX 76110

Share

McDonald's coffee drinkers. The most loyal?

So says the market research firm, CustomersDNA, as reported by the Wall Street Journal. CustomersDNA questioned 15,000 fast food customers about their coffee buying habits. When asked how likely they were to stray from one merchant to another, McDonald's customers were the least likely to go anywhere else.

That's a surprising result even considering the fact that McDonald's coffee is the least expensive, and sometimes as much as $.75 less expensive than Dunkin' or Starbucks.

For the record, if you line up all three stores with fresh coffee and all three had the same price, I'll choose Dunkin' Donuts first.

How about you?

Share:

The Art of Choices . . .

Please accept an invitation to visit my son's first blog and his first post. He is twenty years old, a fourth year voice student in Philadelphia, and is commenting on his take on things away from Texas.

This first post is on how to pick a commuter train seat for legroom and comfort. I liked it, of course.

Thank you.

Link: http://shivoneschoice.blogspot.com/

Share:

A Visitor's Guide to the Main Street Arts Festival, 2011.

Glass from Renee & James Engebretson

Fort Worth's, Main Street Arts Festival has grown to be one of our fair burg's signature annual events. And on opening day, April 14, it will proudly begin its 26th year.

Fort Worth hosts other well-attended events. Some are older, such as, the Stock Show, some more international, such as, the Van Cliburn Piano Competition, but in my mind, none more fitting and beneficial to the immediate downtown area than the Main Street Arts Festival. It symbolizes, at least to me, downtown's change for better in the last twenty-five years.

The Main Street Arts Festival is the sixth largest in the nation featuring over 200 booths out of 1,500 applicants; painting, glass, ceramics, wood, and other mediums from some of the world's best artists and craftsmen.

But, as I say every year, this is a food blog.

So, I should also mention that Main Street Arts also has become an event that draws people for the entertainment and the food. The Festival has the standard hot dog/cotton-candy type booths, but also has dozens of local restaurants selling select items from their menu, and specialty food sellers like Lone Star Roasted Nuts and Schmidt's bratwurst.

Times Ten Cellars is returning with their wine tasting party -- and at $35 it's worth considering. They sold out last year, so if you are interested, buy a ticket now.

Below are links to the culinary world at Main Street:

• Food and Restaurants: Here
• Times Ten Wine Tasting: Here
• Beer and other adult beverages: Here

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Main Street Arts Festival

April 14 - 17, 2011

10 AM -- 10 PM

Share:

Sammie's Bar-B-Q. Haltom City.

I have mixed feelings about Sammie's Bar-B-Que in Haltom City.

I say that because as much as I liked the taste of the smoky, sliced-beef brisket, it was on the dry side; as if it had been over-cooked, or had sat in a warmer too long. Or maybe Sammie just likes his brisket extra lean. Same with the chicken. It was smoked the old fashioned way, and tasty, but again, way too dry.

Marian and I ordered two dinner plates, one sliced beef and the other, all white-meat, chicken breast. I have no complaints about the portions, they were more than expected. But the sides weren't anything to write home about, either. The barbecue sauce served on the side was excellent.

Also on the plus side, I just liked the place. Sammie's is an authentic Texas barbecue joint with a comfortable atmosphere that suits the food. There is a bar attached to the restaurant that was well-attended. It's a hometown, friendly crowd.

We sat on the picnic tables, outside, a very pleasant setting.

I probably need to go back again during the lunch hour when it's busier and maybe when the meats are a little closer to "just out of the smoker." But for now, I still prefer Angelo's, or my current favorite, Wilson's in Meadowbrook.

Share:

"Obi- Wan. The shroud of the Dark Side has fallen . . . "

Share:

The Senate sits . . .

The Senate, in session but powerless, hear threats of the coming inferno from Lord Legal-Pad, President Fauntleroy's Master. 

Share:

Years Later . . .

The Jedi Knight heard the news. Little Lord Fauntleroy
had appointed himself President Darth Fauntleroy.

Share:

Regular readers: sorry, bit of an inside joke.

The day we realized that Little Lord Fauntleroy had visions of evil grandeur.

Please share: 

Spend a buck at Redbox. Watch: Waiting for Superman.

I get my best video watching advice from my children. Everything from Alias to 24 to Man vs. Wild came from my kids' suggestions. Last night we watched, after a suggestion from Stephen, the documentary, Waiting for Superman.

Waiting For Superman is both a critique of our public education system and a presentation of some practical solutions. It is not a philosophical treatise on education. It is not politically oriented, unless you consider its excoriation of some school board bureaucracies and teacher's unions a political statement. The ax WFS has to grind is the reality that children are going down in flames while adults fiddle.

And they make their point clearly and repeatedly. There's little equivocation in this documentary. You will agree or disagree, but you won't have any doubt of their viewpoint.

It is a disturbing documentary sometimes, oftentimes, and occasionally inspirational, but Waiting also presents very practical, sensible ideas of what is working in some of the worst performing school districts in the nation.

It's worth watching. I appreciate the suggestion.

Share:

The best bread in Fort Worth

I have mentioned this before, I mention it again because, yesterday, Marian and I stopped by our favorite bakery to pick-up a few loaves of bread. I am referring to Artisan Baking Company, on White Settlement Road.

It always strikes me when I get home and start slicing into the bread how fresh it looks, smells, feels, and tastes. It's just good bread. I can't recommend Gwin and Mark Grimes and their bakery highly enough. And the price is right, too. $4.50 for a healthy loaf of bread is inexpensive when you consider what you are getting in quality and quantity.

Of course, Artisan has the usual assortment of cookies, scones, and pastries. All good. Actually, the scones are in the great category.

If you can work Artisan Baking Company into your round of trips to the markets, you will not be disappointed.  My favorite: Breakfast bread, lightly toasted, with a little butter. You just can't beat it.

If you have a favorite, please comment.

Artisan Baking Company
4900 White Settlement Rd
Fort Worth, Texas

Share: