RE: TAX PROTESTS

So yeah, I was down at the Dallas County Appraisal District this afternoon. (If your protest is not postmarked by May 31, which is like now, you are OOL.) It was pretty crowded but, as Christine mentioned to you earlier, not as bad as I or the honchos down there expected.

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SHOP-N-HOP EVENT TONIGHT AT SNIDER PLAZA

When’s the last time you got something in Highland Park for free? Besides a traffic ticket? (Oh, wait, you had to pay for that.) Well, tonight’s your chance: the Shop-N-Hop event kicks off at Snider Plaza tonight, with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres provided by the host stores and discounts up to 25 percent. Stop in At My Table for cute patterned plates or table accessories, fun vintage-y stuff at Uptown Country Home, or darling linens for the nursery at Baby Bliss. And, lest your neglected wardrobe develop trendy envy, Blues Jean Bar and Melanie Gayle are participating, too. Just don’t let the cocktails persuade you that you’ll find lots of places to wear those five-inch heels. Shop tonight, May 31, from 5 to 7 p.m. at Snider Plaza.

PROPERTY TAX PROTESTS DOWN BY 20 PERCENT

Just got a call from the street: an informed property tax protester says it was quite crowded today (the deadline) at the Dallas County Appraisal District office on Stemmons Freeway. Even considering that line of procrastinators, the number of objectors (either by mail or in person) is down by 20 percent compared to last year. More equitable appraisals? Judging by mine, I don’t think so, but you’ve got to wonder. More to come.

FUSION HOME FASHION IS FANCY

We feature the cool shop in our current issue (p. 50). If you haven’t made it to the store just yet, plan on checking it out Saturday night. When the clock strikes 8 p.m., Fusion Home Fashion transforms from fashion-forward art, furniture, and clothing purveyor into happening hot spot. Grab a special someone, and size up art created by local artists, mingle with hip people, sip wine, and enjoy appetizers. A word: please think hard before attempting any of your patented dance moves. It’ll be tough to avoid the temptation–there’s a live DJ.

RAINY DAY SUNDAY

The perfect opportunity to find vintage gems. Rain, rain, you don’t have to go away.

BURGLARS WITH BALLS AND HOME SALES

We are all on deadline, hence the quiet of these here pages. But my ‘hood is a-hoppin’:

1. With terrible crime. The area directly behind and south of us has had twenty burglaries in a row. This holiday weekend there were six, four on Saturday night alone. It has us locking up the house so much I locked myself out the other day. Honestly thinking of packing heat. What I’ve heard is that the burglar is so–excuse me, ballsy–he walked into one house Saturday night with his sticky fingers while the owners were entertaining on the patio!

2. Said ‘hood wanted to join our Hillcrest Estates patrol but the last thing we need is to water down our coverage with these gutsy birds on the loose–so they have formed their own.

3. One homeowner is reportedly so freaked out she’s putting her house on the market. After all, the guy did invade her home while she was cooking dinner…kind of like that commercial.

4. Security alarm sales are up. You don’t suppose the condo developers are out there rubbing palms together?

VISIT DUNE THIS JUNE

Or you could go today, while it’s still May. (I bust rhymes in my spare time.) The New York Times featured the new Dallas location of Dune Living. For those who don’t know, the store is noted for its modern furniture. The original Dune is in Tribeca, and the products can also be found in the very cool NYC store ABC Home. And now it’s in LFT in Victory. (Which, dear readers, you know I seem to blog about almost exclusively. If one didn’t know better, it might seem as though I’m angling for a condo at the W or something.) Take special note of the picture. It’s by our friend, the talented and wonderful Allison V. Smith.

CHEF TRACY MILLER LETS US IN ON A LOCAL SECRET

I sat down with Local chef Tracy Miller to talk about her obsession with peanut butter, her favorite cookbooks, and this month’s 11-year anniversary of Local. While chatting, I confessed my love for the rosemary nuts. If you don’t know about the rosemary nuts, call 214-752-7500 immediately for a reservation. She shared the list of ingredients with me, and I am going to attempt to duplicate the nuts at home. (I’ll let you know how that goes.) Ingredients are in the jump. For more on Miller, see our next issue. (more…)

COOKING FOR A CAUSE AT SUR LA TABLE

Here’s a great way to sharpen your kitchen skills and feed those less fortunate. Sur La Table will teach two cooking classes benefiting America’s Second Harvest, the nation’s largest charitable hunger relief organization. Here’s the skinny:

Saturday, June 2: This kids’ class will teach your munchkins basic cooking and baking skills. $50 class fee, $45 of which goes to ASH.

Tuesday, June 5: Area chef Jamie Samford shows off his culinary prowess. $60 class fee, $50 of which goes to ASH.

For more information on classes and locations, check out Sur La Table here.

RE: SNAPPY SALADS

Laura, we snap for Snappy over at Preston Forest — I wrote up the spot when it first opened. So happy to see they are opening a second location. And I hope we see more restaurants that forgo the greasy and fried for fresh and light. Our health depends on it. Which means I guess I’m headed to Cooper.

SHARE A SNAPPY SALAD WITH LAURA MILLER

Okay, you might not actually get to share your thoughts, hopes, dreams, or even a table with Mayor Miller at the Snappy Salads opening at NorthPark this Thursday, but you will be doing all manner of good. First, your body will thank you if you unhand the corn dog, and instead opt for a fresh, lovely, delicious Mexican, Cobb, Caesar, or any of the other salad selections. More importantly, 20 percent of the proceeds from the day’s sales (at both the NorthPark and Forest Lane locations) benefits the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Dallas. Two things: look for our assistant managing editor (she’s obsessed with the Snappy), and tell Mayor Miller that the good folks at D and D Home say hi. On second thought, maybe don’t mention D; just go with D Home.

CALVIN KLEIN @ AT MY TABLE

At My Table in Snider Plaza received the Calvin Klein Home place settings, stemware, and vases line. Since they abandoned us in HP Village, check it out here by calling 214-691-6816.

RE: WALL MARKER

Rebecca, I cannot believe the timing of your blog about the wall-marking chalk. I am in the process of rehanging about 6 frames after having my front hallway repainted. Thank you–this could be a marriage-saving tip.

BEST BUY: WALL MARKER

Some guy made a million bucks inventing this thing. Seems ridiculous but it’s brilliant. Essentially, it’s a piece of chalk shaped like an arrow with adhesive on the back. Stick it on the back of your picture, and it marks the wall in the exact spot for hanging. Stupidly simple. I wish I’d invented it and I wish I’d had one recently before I hammered a dozen holes in Muffin Lemak’s wall last week during a photo shoot. $2.99 at Amazon.

YOUR CLIENT LIVES ON LESS THAN $2 PER DAY

Now here’s a design challenge.

TEXAS LEGISLATURE SIGNS OFF

No property tax reform or, shall I say, relief on puffing up appraisals to net whatever may have been lost by said reform…four days left to protest…but blind people can now hunt. That should really lower our values.

URBAN RESERVE AND MATHEWS/NICHOLS

Just heard that the Erin Mathews/David Nichols team at Briggs Freeman is officially handling sales of Diane Cheatham’s Urban Preserve….

WAR OF THE ROSES IN DALLAS

Aurelia Scott’s new book, Otherwise Ordinary People: Inside the Thorny World of Competitive Rose Gardening, has many of the colorful local characters that D magazine staff writer Rod Davis unearthed in a story for D Home last September about two rival international rose organizations–one based in Dallas. Sorry Rod, looks like Scott beat you to the book.

DALLAS ASID TO RE-DO DALLAS WIND OFFICE

The Dallas ASID is really breaking wind these days…doing an extreme makeover on the Dallas Wind Symphony’s office at Fair Park as its annual community service project. The dust starts flying July 9.

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VICTORY IN THE NEWS AGAIN

In case you missed it, Ernst & Young is moving its regional operations to Victory Park as soon as their current Ross Avenue lease expires. Not only is One Victory Park leasing up–it’s slated to be LEED certified. That’s what I call great news.

RE: THE WOODSON PLACE AND GREEN BUILDING

Laura, glad to see that someone is embracing green building today! I felt like rattling a few cages after reading Steve Brown’s article in the DMN this morning. Even though he spotlighted that gorgeous building in McKinney, it is depressing to hear comments about the scarcity of commercial green building in the Metroplex. I think we’ll all be surprised (pleasantly) in the next couple of years as builders are given serious incentives to get their acts together. And, if the recent list of newly accredited LEED builders is any indication, it’s going to happen sooner than even I expect.

RE: ROAD TRIP

You know, you’re on to something big Laura. I’m told by folks in the know that east Texas is “it” country.  Apparently land in Minneola is being bought up by young couples looking to build a second house for weekend getaways. You know, it’s like our Hamptons–but with more meth.

ROB WRITES FOR ELLE DECOR

Not that I’m promoting another home magazine, but Dallas’ own Rob Brinkley, my favorite competition, has a feature in the June Elle Decor about a great hill country home in Fredricksburg. Word has it that July’s cover of Elle Decor will be graced with the high-rise Houston home of Randy Powers’ mom, also written by Rob. What a two-fer. Way to go, Rob.

POST-MEMORIAL DAY ROAD TRIP: THE WOODSON PLACE

If you didn’t get through your book-on-tape on the long-weekend trip, why not head over to The Woodson Place? It’s about 74 miles east of Dallas, on County Road 2370 just off Highway 69, between Emory and Alba. On Wednesday, May 30, the public is invited to take a tour of this cool community, which has integrated “greenbuilt” homes with conservation development goals of wildlife habitat preservation and native plant wildscaping. (Note: You might want to go down in the Prius rather than the Suburban.)

WINE-OH! FRIDAY

Is there a better way to celebrate Memorial Day weekend than with some premium fruit of the vine? Nope. Didn’t think so.

Flavors From Afar invites you to sip and savor this Saturday, 12-5pm at its Snider Plaza shop.

The Wine Market hosts a Super Memorial Day Wine Sale & Tasting all weekend.

Chateau Wine Market hosts a Wine Fair this Saturday, 1-4pm.

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