Back Talk Oak Cliff

This weekend: Blues, JFK and vegan holiday cooking

For two nights in a row this weekend, neighborhood band Bona Fide Blues will be performing at neighborhood restaurants. Catch the boys at Eno's on Friday night at 9:30 p.m., and at Jack's Backyard and Chill Grill Saturday at 9 p.m.

On Saturday night at 7 p.m., commemorate the 45th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy's assassination by heading to the Texas Theater to watch Oliver Stone's "JFK". (Same guy who did the recent "W" movie, but totally different presidents.) Your $5 admission benefits the Oak Cliff Foundation's efforts to restore the theater.

"So you bought your Tofurky, now what?" That's the line Spiral Diner is using to market its "How to Prepare a Holiday Meal" cooking class on Monday, Nov. 24, 7-9 p.m. The 2-hour class costs $40 per person, and includes step-by-step instructions on how to make vegan holiday dishes, plus you get to sample all of them. Sign up at the restaurant or by calling 214.948.4747.

Belmont Hotel partners with Bunkhouse Management for facelift

Watching the sunset at Bar Belmont is about to get even better.

So says Bunkhouse Management, an Austin-based hotel management and ownership company that recently partnered with the Belmont Hotel. Other Bunkhouse properties are boutique hotels in Austin —  Hotel San Jose and Hotel Saint Cecilia.

Kevin Osterhaus, Bunkhouse vice president of operations, says his company approached the Belmont asking to work with its team to enhance their offerings and grow their business, and Bunkhouse employees have been in Dallas since July putting together a conceptual plan to evaluate the hotel's services and amenities. "Obviously, the Belmont is a wonderful staple of that  community," says Osterhaus, a former Dallas resident. "We love what Belmont owners have done to make it part of the Oak Cliff community."

The goal, he says, is to improve on what is already there, starting with the bar.

Council subcommittee considers a smoking ban in bars, billiard halls

A city council subcommittee is considering expanding the city's current smoking ban from restaurants and workplaces to bars, billiard halls and within 15 feet of entrances to publicly accessible villages, according to the DMN. A majority of the six councilmen on the subcommittee seem to be leaning in favor of the proposal, according to the News story and more comments on its blog.

I have to admit that when the city council first decided to restrict smoking in restaurants and other public places a few years ago, I had my doubts: It seemed like a draconian measure, and it seemed likely to drive business out of Dallas. Today, though, I haven't seen a single study indicating that significant business was lost to the more smoking-friendly suburbs, and the air in most places I go these days is cleaner and clearer.

This weekend: Art shows, homebrewing contest and retracing Lee Harvey Oswald's steps

There's a little something for everyone in Oak Cliff this weekend.

On Saturday night The Soda Gallery opens its new "50/50 II" art exhibition, back by popular demand. The show, which asks 50 artists to each create a work and sell it for $50, was such a hit in February that the shop decided to give it another go. Soda Gallery arts director Jonathon Kimbrell says that, "one, it shows people all the great work being created around the country and two, illustrates the idea that buying original art doesn't have to break the bank, so to speak." You can preview the art before Saturday night, but nothing will be sold until 7 p.m. — and "work will go fast, I assure you," Kimbrell says. Some of Kimbrell's own work will be on display as well.

The Oak Cliff Artisans sixth annual fall sale offers handmade works ranging from stained glass and clay to metal sculpture, jewelry and photography. The sale takes place Saturday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday from 1-5 p.m. at Kidd Springs Recreation Center.

Your Friday productivity killer

Today I bring you Mr. Picassohead (and thanks to Keri Mitchell for recommending it). It's one of those sites where you build your own face. You can see I tried to do it at left, but I don't think I look nearly so, err, scary in real life (though some of my coworkers might disagree). 

There's another fun site where you can South Park yourself. I once South Parked everyone here at work, built a poster and made them all guess who was who, with prizes for the most correct guesses. I highly recommend doing this — it's great for morale. (Again, some of my coworkers might disagree.)

Pop culture: SNL on the presidential campaign

If you've been hiding under a rock for the last few weeks, it's possible that you may still have caught wind of Saturday Night Live's special segments on the presidential campaign, along with all of its politician guest stars.

The last show airs tonight at 8 p.m., but if you miss it, you can always watch it (along with the other past episodes) on NBC's website. Tomorrow, when tensions are running high around the water cooler, it will be a good stress reliever.

Your Friday Productivity Killer

It's a busy Friday — early voting, last minute Halloween-costume shopping, etc. — so I wanted to bring you all something you could enjoy quickly. I chanced upon this site a few years ago, and have never been able to get it out of my head. It's Buenoa Aires resident Diego Goldberg's photographic chronicle of his family's growth over 32 years. Whenever I go back to it, I find myself inventing little stories to, say, explain why Nicolas had such a short haircut in 1987 (gum incident?) or why, despite the rest of his family's near-constant sober stares, Matias, the middle son, often can't seem to get the smile out of his eyes. The accompanying video by ABC News is short and cute.

It's fascinating, isn't it, to see a family evolve before your very eyes?

Your Friday productivity killer

If you grew up in a certain era, Saturday mornings meant sitting in front of the TV watching cartoons. And in my opinion, when it comes to cartoons, nothing beats Looney Tunes, still. (Though Pixar comes pretty close.) As an adult, and thanks to YouTube, I've discovered them all over again.

Below is one of my favorites. It has a genius to it that I didn't get as a kid. This will only kill about 7 minutes of your afternoon, so make sure you click on it. From where it's hosted on YouTube, you can watch a ton more.

This weekend: Lisa Markley and Three Silent Shorts

Lisa Markley and Bruce Balmer's latest CD was profiled in the September Advocate CliffDweller. Take advantage of the opportunity to hear Markley perform Friday night at Eno's Pizza Tavern from 9:30 p.m.-midnight.

The Texas Theatre's silent film series kicks off this Saturday, with three silent shorts accompanied by Oak Cliff pianist Robert Edwards and additional music performed by 1920s-styled foxtrot orchestra, The Singapore Slingers. The films begin at 7 p.m., and tickets cost $8 for adults, $3 for children (they're silent, so you won't have to worry about bad language). All proceeds go to the Texas Theatre Renovation and Restoration Project.

Pop culture: How Hank Hill deals with the McMansion issue

I usually try to catch "The Simpsons" and/or "Family Guy" Sunday nights on Fox (no doubt we all needed a little laughter after watching our football team's wheels fall off yesterday).

"King of the Hill", for whatever reason, is not usually on my radar. But last night I managed to catch an episode that turned out to be worth a watch. It caught my attention because it delved into a subject we get really hot about around here — McMansions (or as Hank Hill most-colorfully describes them, “Jackass McMansions”).

When a developer tries to build a big castle on a tiny lot, Hank and his buddies get pretty agitated and end up trying to fight it at city hall. The “speculation home” has no yard, is made from cheap materials, and it blocks sunlight out of the neighborhood. Then a rain storm nearly tears it apart before a mob of angry neighbors finish the job … and that’s just the beginning. I guess they have teardown-McMansion issues in Garland, I mean Arlen, too. 

You can watch the entire "King of the Hill" episode, Square-footed Monster, here.