Advocate Magazine

News and Notes: June 2013

Monica S. Nagy — Wed, 22 May 2013 20:27:43 +0000

The Dallas Police Department tops in social-media use and some students win big

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The art of the matter

Monica S. Nagy — Wed, 22 May 2013 20:27:43 +0000

How one art community aims to paint, sculpt and weld its way into the hearts of Far North Dallas homes

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Habits of a healthy religion

Blair Monie — Wed, 22 May 2013 20:27:42 +0000

Start practicing for a better, longer life

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Scene and Heard: June 2013

Advocate Staff — Wed, 22 May 2013 20:27:41 +0000

Far North Dallas resident Adam Warnke, second from left, recently won the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools Boys Doubles State Championship

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True Crime: Criminal mischief

Sean Chaffin — Wed, 22 May 2013 20:27:40 +0000

This was no special delivery.

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Notes from City Hall: The sale of park land

Sandy Greyson — Wed, 22 May 2013 20:27:39 +0000

In the May 11 elections, Dallas voters overwhelmingly (more than 80 percent) voted to approve two propositions that involve the sale of park land.

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The comforts of home

Rick Wamre — Wed, 22 May 2013 19:14:22 +0000

They don’t come without toil, good tools and acceptance

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Think pink

Jeff Siegel — Wed, 22 May 2013 17:10:25 +0000

This month marks the 11th annual Advocate rosé column where we celebrate pink wine that costs $10, pairs with almost any kind of food you can think of, and ...

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The Regulars: Loyal diners dish about local spots

Keri Mitchell — Wed, 22 May 2013 14:50:21 +0000

Forget the latest culinary craze — here’s what keep the regulars coming back, and back, and back It’s a challenge to keep up with the trendy and innovative restaurant landscape in Dallas. Every day, it seems, brings the announcement of a new upscale taco joint or slow-food gastropub or microbrewery. Amid the blur of media clamoring to cover the city’s latest and greatest foodie hotspots, it’s easy to forget the neighborhood restaurants that have stuck with us over the long haul. But the regulars don’t forget. They patronize their favorites week in and week out, sometimes daily. Their allegiance isn’t just about the food. They tend to be loyalists and creatures of habit, in contrast to those of us who have restaurant attention deficit disorder. The neighborhood eateries with established regulars aren’t typically the ones enjoying Twitter and blogger buzz. If we lost them, however, they would leave gaping holes in the fabric of our community. While most of us play the restaurant field, we salute the regulars who make sure our neighborhood’s dining staples will be around when we crave them. The String Bean Larrie Lambeth recalls dining at The String Bean a couple of decades ago with his wife, Emilie, and another couple. Both couples had brought along buy-one-get-one entrée coupons. “We ordered four meals expecting to get two free ones, but she came charging over and said, ‘Only one coupon per table,’ ” Lambeth says of owner Debbi McSwain. “So my friend, who was vice president of TI at the time, got up from the table and moved to another table. They sat over there, and we talked back and forth.” That was before Lambeth really knew McSwain. “We’ve laughed about that over the years” since they became friends, he says. “She’ll give you the shirt off her back, but try beating her out of 10 cents and she’ll bite your nose off,” Lambeth says of McSwain. “You can’t run a restaurant as long as she has” without watching the dollars and cents closely, he says. The String Bean has been a Far North Dallas fixture for more than 35 years, and Lambeth began frequenting the place in the early ’80s, when it was located at Spring Valley and Central. The Lambeths hail from the South and moved to Texas in the early ’60s. What drew them to The String Bean was the “simple country food,” he says. “It was the only place that you could go get greens, and they were real good. They made excellent black-eyed peas, done just right, and Emilie liked the meatloaf, and the price was right.” In those days, Lambeth worked in construction and spent most of his time at upscale restaurants picking up business. He retired 15 years ago. “After I got done going Downtown and fooling around with hotshots, I went back to being a country boy,” he says. “I doubt if I’ve missed a week” at The String Bean since then, he adds. The Lambeths might be there on “Mondays or Tuesdays or Wednesdays or whenever we feel like it,” he says. Over time, the Lambeths formed a close friendship with McSwain and other String Bean employees. Cook Ron Morse, who was killed in a car accident in 2007, was a good friend of theirs. Larrie Lambeth also attended the requiem for McSwain’s father when he died in 2011. Lambeth has met McSwain’s whole family, including her sons and daughter, and has personally experienced her nickname, “Dragon.” “Everybody likes her a lot, but when she gets upset, she does become an absolute dragon,” Lambeth says. A few years ago, he entered a hand-carving contest and created a 2-by-3-foot wooden dragon. It won the contest, and Lambeth presented it to McSwain, who was floored by the gesture and placed it on display in the restaurant. “Well, Emilie said, ‘I don’t want the damn thing sitting around my house,’ ” Lambeth says, shrugging it off. Lambeth is the reason The String Bean moved to its current location, McSwain says. “He came over and said, ‘You need to come to Campbell and Coit,’ ” she recalls. She was hesitant, knowing the rent would be higher, but says Lambeth told her, “Well, listen, I’ve watched all the foot traffic and know the demographics.” McSwain did listen to her longtime customer, and eventually made the move. “As it turns out, she is making a lot of money on it,” Lambeth says with pride. Perhaps it’s not surprising, then, that McSwain turns a blind eye each time Lambeth leaves the restaurant with bulging pockets. “I steal a double handful of mints when I walk out the door, usually enough to get me through the week,” Lambeth says. “One time a lady saw me grab a handful and put them in my pocket.” When McSwain was informed, Lambeth says, the owner told the employee, “If he wants a double handful of mints, leave him alone. He can have a double handful of mints.” That’s just the kind of relationship they have after so many years. Lambeth would do the same for McSwain. “The food could get shitty, and I’d still go back,” he says. The String Bean 1310 W. Campbell 972.385.3287 Order like a regular Larrie Lambeth favors Ron’s sandwich, a creation of the late cook, which has peppercorn turkey, bacon, jack cheese and smoky mustard. His wife, Emilie, believes The String Bean’s meatloaf is the best in the city. They are always at the restaurant on Friday nights because “Friday is jumbo shrimp,” Lambeth says, “five or six on a plate along with a salad or two vegetables. And Emilie sometimes insists on going on Saturdays, when they have the chicken and dumplings.” Deli News Arlene Sanders claims that if Deli News ever closes, she would starve to death. Sanders, her husband and her two daughters have dined at the deli since it opened at Hillcrest and Arapaho 26 years ago. “We were looking for a little taste of New York — [...]

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Shop local extravaganza features deals and prizes

Monica S. Nagy — Wed, 22 May 2013 08:00:21 +0000

A Far North Dallas business owner is hosting a “buy local” campaign to highlight the importance of mom and pop shops. Brad Schweig will host the shopping extravaganza May 24-27 via his organization ShopLocalDFW.com that features independent retailers in North Texas. Schweig’s website will showcase participating stores that will offer special deals and daily prizes. “Our main goal is to bring awareness of all of the great local stores in the area,” says Brad Schweig of Sunnyland Patio Furniture via press release. “We are not asking people to stop going to the big-box stores or chain restaurants because they serve an important need in our community. We just ask that consumers spend $50 per month at their favorite local businesses.” Below is a list of retailers from our neighborhood who will participate: —Sunnyland Patio Furniture —Petals and Stems Florist —Lone Star Judaica —Rainbow Entertainment —Valley View Center at Dallas Midtown —Coffee House Café © Monica S. Nagy for Advocate Magazine, 2013. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us Post tags:

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