44 new Dallas debutantes star in this week's most popular stories

This week's hot headlines

Photo by James French

Editor's note: A lot happened this week, so here's your chance to get caught up. Read on for the week's most popular headlines. Looking for the best things to do this weekend? Find that list here.

1. 44 new Dallas debutantes begin Presentation Ball prep with glam parties and glorious gowns. With the start of summer vacation came the beginning of the 2023-2024 Dallas Symphony Orchestra League debutante season - even though it seems like just yesterday that the 2023 debs were Texas-dipping into society. The DSOL introduced 44 new debs during Announcement Weekend festivities, May 18-20. Their parties, philanthropy, and training will culminate with the 38th Presentation Ball.

2. 21 North Texas museums offer free admission to military families this summer. Nearly two dozen Dallas-Fort Worth museums are honoring active duty military personnel and their families with free admission through the Blue Star Museums initiative, May 20-September 4, 2023.

3. 11 Dallas icons star in new book of most influential Texans from last 50 years. To commemorate Texas Monthly's 50th anniversary, the publication has collected the stories and photographs of 50 iconic Texans who have shaped the state and the country over the past 50 years for a book called Lone Stars Rising. Eleven Dallas megastars have made the roster.

4. These are the 7 best most intriguing hot dogs in Dallas right now. Hot dogs are the quintessential summer food and an item that nearly everyone loves. They're simple, flavorful, easy to make at home, and affordable if you dine out. Here are the seven most interesting hot dogs you can find in Dallas-Fort Worth.

5. Mississippi sisters debut perky Southern-chic boutique on Dallas' Greenville Avenue. When Allison and Anna Williams graduated from University of Mississippi in 2021, they didn't picture themselves owning a boutique on Lower Greenville in Dallas. But the Williamses' new women's clothing boutique, Five 54, opened this spring at 1906 Greenville Ave., next to Clark's Barbershop, in the buzziest neighborhood in town.

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DFW's dismal ranking among best places to live leads this week's 5 most-read headlines

This week's hot headlines

1. Dallas-Fort Worth no longer a top 100 place to live, declares U.S. News & World Report. Dallas-Fort Worth has fallen from grace in a closely watched annual report of the best places to live in the U.S. The Metroplex appears at a dismal No. 113 (out of 150) in U.S. News & World Report's Best Places to Live ranking for 2023-2024. Last year, DFW landed at No. 32; it was No. 37 in 2021. Here's (sort of) why it plummeted in the rankings.

2. Sliders restaurant from Detroit shimmies onto Dallas' Greenville Ave. A slider concept from the Great Lakes State is expanding to Texas, and that includes a high-profile location in Dallas: Called Savvy Sliders, it's a young fast-casual concept founded in Flint, Michigan, and it will open its first Dallas restaurant at 4818 Greenville Ave., in the space recently vacated by vegan chicken restaurant Project Pollo.

3. New lagoon-waterpark with lazy river dives into Dallas-Fort Worth. A long-awaited waterpark in Cedar Hill is debuting Memorial Day weekend with two of Texas' favorite splashy attractions: a lagoon and lazy river. The Lagoon at Virginia Weaver Park will open Saturday, May 27 after more than a year in development.

4. Happy Hippie Brewing to bring peace, love, and beer to new HQ in Richardson. A craft beer brewery is opening a splendid new facility in Richardson: Happy Hippie Brewing Company, a small brewery specializing in Belgian-style beers, is opening an an 11,000-square-foot brewery and taproom at 500 Lockwood Dr., in the Lockwood area within the city's evolving CORE District.

5. Asian restaurant Howard Wang's shutters location in Uptown Dallas. A Chinese restaurant in Uptown Dallas closed: Howard Wang's Uptown Grill, one in a family-owned chain, closed its location at 3223 Lemmon Ave. #103, with the final day of service on May 21. The restaurant had been at that location for 12 years.

Photo by Herring Herring

Summer concert preview leads this week's 5 most popular Dallas stories

This week's hot headlines

1. These are the 16 must-see concerts for summer 2023 in Dallas-Fort Worth. Musical acts go on tour all year-round but there's no concert season like summer concert season: Outdoor arenas and sheds open their doors, and major tours head out on the road, seizing on the more favorable weather to put on a big show. Here are the 16 most-anticipated concerts of the summer.

2. New restaurant nabs Blue Goose Cantina space on Dallas' Greenville Ave. A new tenant has landed in the highly desirable former Blue Goose Cantina space on Dallas' Greenville Avenue: Called Goodwin's, it's a restaurant collaboration starring chef Jeff Bekavac, and it will open at 2905 Greenville Ave. in 2024.

3. Where to eat in Dallas right now: 6 of the hottest newest patios in town. For the May edition of Where to eat in Dallas right now, our monthly column offering recommendations on the best dining options, we revisit a classic theme: patios. The patios on this list are either new or else underdog patios that deserve a look this month.

4. Meow Wolf unveils trippy theme and opening date for new portal in Grapevine. The most anticipated arts event of summer in Dallas-Fort Worth now has an opening date: Meow Wolf will open Friday, July 14 at Grapevine Mills with the intriguing theme "The Real Unreal." Tickets are now on sale.

5. Big Dallas freeway closure at 635 and Greenville Avenue coming up. There's a major freeway closure coming up in North Dallas this weekend on I-635: All lanes along eastbound and westbound I-635 at Greenville Avenue will be closed beginning Saturday evening, May 20 through Sunday morning, May 21.

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Dumpling shop from New York tops this week's 5 hottest Dallas headlines

This week's hot headlines

1. Hipster dumpling shop opens first restaurant outside N.Y. in Dallas. A dumpling shop from New York is coming to Dallas: Brooklyn Dumpling Shop will open its first Texas location in Dallas in Deep Ellum, offering traditional and specialty dumplings influenced by flavors found in a typical New York City diner. It'll open on May 15, at 2548 Elm St.

2. New poll reveals shocking results on how outsiders view Texas. Despite calls to #BoycottTexas by sports groups, business groups, women's groups, and more over any number of state laws and public policies sparking national outrage (here's a recent list), a surprising new poll shows a majority of Americans view Texas in a positive light.

3. Steakhouse from Las Vegas group makes sizzling Dallas debut near Deep Ellum. An Italian-inspired steakhouse with roots in Las Vegas opened in Dallas this week: Called The Saint, it's from Hooper Hospitality Concepts (HHC), a Vegas group headed by acclaimed restaurateur Andy Hooper, and it opened in near East Dallas on Thursday, May 11.

4. Morgan Wallen replaced as headliner for ACM Awards benefit show in The Colony. Morgan Wallen was out. Jason Aldean was in. That was the word on the headliner situation for "ACM Lifting Lives: LIVE concert" in The Colony on Wednesday, May 10, a day before the ACM Awards in Frisco. Wallen posted to social media a video explaining that doctors had put him on vocal rest and he'd be canceling shows for six weeks - including his ACM-related appearances.

5. Speakeasy named for Bonnie & Clyde hangout opens at Dallas' Trinity Groves. West Dallas eatertainment complex Trinity Groves has a little of everything but now it has the missing piece: a speakeasy. Called Devil's Back Porch, it's a Prohibition bar concept which will be located in an unexpected site: the second floor of Saint Rocco’s, the New York-inspired Italian restaurant with red sauce pastas, chicken parmesan, and pizza founded by Phil Romano.

Wolfe Investments

Downtown building's transformation tops this week's 5 most-read Dallas stories

This week's hot headlines

1. Blue-paneled '50s office building in downtown Dallas to become residences. A distinctive '50s building in downtown Dallas has a new owner with big plans. The building is 211 North Ervay, notable for its pretty pale-blue paneled facade, and it's been acquired by Wolfe Investments, a real estate company headed by CEO Kenny Wolfe, with plans to transform it into residences.

2. 10 best restaurants in Dallas include fresh upstarts and revered classics. This entry in our special editorial series highlighting Tastemaker Award nominees paid tribute to the big kahuna: Restaurant of The Year. These 10 restaurants are the established players, the places that for one reason or another ruled the Dallas scene in 2023.

3. Mi Cocina veteran opens new modern Mexican restaurant in Sunnyvale. A former Mi Cocina pro has opened his own restaurant on the southeast side of Dallas in Sunnyvale: Called La Carretera Modern Mex Kitchen, it's from Erick Barrera, who worked with beloved restaurateur Mico Rodriguez for many years first at Mi Cocina and then at Mesero, Mico's post-Mi Cocina startup.

4. Dolly Parton hosts pop-up shop at Frisco's Star during ACM Awards week. ACM Awards co-host Dolly Parton knows what the people want: more Dolly. So the Queen of Country is opening a limited-run pop-up shop called Dolly! All Access during ACM Awards Week, at The Star in Frisco, May 9-14.

5. Dallas' best chef, restaurant, and more winners crowned at 2023 Tastemaker Awards. After weeks of anticipation, the best restaurants, bars, chefs, and more culinary superstars were crowned at our 2023 CultureMap Dallas Tastemaker Awards. On May 4, the winners were revealed at an awards ceremony and tasting event at Fashion Industry Gallery.

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World's 'rudest' diner sasses up this week's 5 hottest Dallas headlines

This week's hot headlines

1. Diner featuring the 'world's rudest service' will pop up in Dallas. An innovative and sassy foodie tour is coming to Dallas: Called Karen's Diner, it's an Australia-based theme restaurant on tour across the U.S. that's like a cross between a restaurant pop-up and theater, and it's coming to Commerce Street for two nights in September.

2. Cowboys greats team up to score $2 million at 2023 Children's Cancer Fund gala. Sports stars, big celebrities, and generous philanthropists came together April 21 to "light it up" for kids who've experienced some darkness in their lives. Cowboys QB (and reigning NFL Man of the Year) Dak Prescott teamed up with Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman for a winning event.

3. Dallas' newest beer garden opens in Richardson with wink to major freeway. There's a new beer garden in Richardson: Called Old 75 Beer Garden, it's an outdoor retreat located at 740 S. Central Expwy., next-door to (and from the same owner as) Richardson Restaurant Park. Named for the freeway that it's adjacent to, the venue opened on April 21.

4. Luxe downtown Dallas hotel makes top 10 list of best lodgings in Texas. Though we are in the era of short-term rentals, Texas Monthly is out on the prowl to recognize those truly local hotel gems scattered across our wonderfully vast state. And a Dallas hotel has earned a top-10 recommendation spot.

5. Majestic Mad Hatter's takes English garden-party elegance to new heights in Dallas. The big Coronation may be a few days and an ocean away, but Dallas style queens donned their own crowns for a decidedly regal 35th Mad Hatter's Luncheon on April 20 at the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden. Hats for the "Celebration of English Elegance" ranged from grand millinery to fun fascinators to glue-gun gloriousness.

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Dallas-Fort Worth arrives at surprising spot among top summer travel destinations

SUMMERTIME blues

Dallas-Fort Worth recently racked up more than a dozen accolades at the 2023 Texas Travel Awards. But a new survey reveals it's not necessarily such a hot travel destination this summer.

DFW comes in at a middle-of-the-road No. 45 in WalletHub's recent 2023 Best Summer Travel Destinations report.

The report compared 100 of the largest metro areas in America across 41 metrics, including number of attractions.

DFW scored an overall rating of 52.56 out of 100. Broken down by category, the Metroplex ranked 86th in "Travel Costs & Hassles;" 32nd in "Local Costs;" 20th in "Attractions;" 41st in "Weather;" 27th in "Activities;" and 50th in "Safety."

Taking the top spot in Texas was San Antonio, at No. 11, with Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown at No. 14. Behind Austin and San Antonio in the 2023 rankings is El Paso (No. 18), then Houston (No. 38). After 45th ranked DFW came Corpus Christi (No. 62), and McAllen (No. 86).

Dr. Susan Weidmann, assistant professor in the department of recreational management and physical education at Appalachian State University, said in the report that summer 2023 is going to be a “good season for travel” despite recent economic downturns that have many worried about a recession.

“Coming out of Covid, I think many people have taken these last few years to really evaluate what they want out of life, and for those that love travel, I think they have probably put it at the top of their list of things to do,” she said. “As far as economics are concerned, many may have saved their traveling money from the last multiple years, so will have money to spend. That being said, after the airline chaos of last year, many people may be thinking about domestic travel over the long-haul, just to alleviate many of the concerns that airlines, especially in Europe, are still grappling with, such as reduced staffing leading to flight cancellations.”

Weidmann predicts the time period between July and early August will be the most popular season for National Parks, like Texas’ Big Bend and Guadalupe Mountains.

Despite none of them being in Texas, the top 10 destinations in WalletHub’s report are all popular cities worth a glance in sun-friendly states like Hawaii, New York, and Florida.

The top 10 best summer destinations are:

No. 1 – Atlanta
No. 2 – Honolulu, Hawaii
No. 3 – Washington, D.C.
No. 4 – Wichita, Kansas
No. 5 – New York City
No. 6 – Chicago
No. 7 – Tampa, Florida
No. 8 – Orlando, Florida
No. 9 – Richmond, Virginia
No. 10 – Springfield, Missouri

Score a hole in one at these 10 top public golf courses in Dallas-Fort Worth

Tee Time

North Texas recently popped the cork for the new $520 million Omni PGA Frisco Resort, which opened in May and features its own entertainment district, full-service spa and salon, four swimming pools, 500 guest rooms and suites, 10 private ranch houses, and 13 unique dining options.

But as the name hints, the resort is very much about the golf. With Father's Day around the corner, we're revisiting Dallas-Fort Worth's best public courses, including the two newest ones found in Frisco and their alternative ways to play.

Load up the clubs and hit the green with this list:

Fields Ranch
Frisco
Omni PGA Frisco Resort boasts two 18-hole championship golf courses, collectively known as Fields Ranch. Fields Ranch East was designed by Gil Hanse, and Fields Ranch West by Beau Welling.

Registered hotel guests can book tee times 120 days in advance of their stay to play Fields Ranch, which will be home to 26 major championships starting in May and continuing through 2034.

Not ready for the full 18-hole experience? Take a few practice swings at the Fields Ranch Practice Facility, then head to The Swing, a lighted 10-hole, par-3 short course, or The Dance Floor, a two-acre putting course and entertainment area.

This will also be the site of Frisco's first Lounge by Topgolf and PGA of America's new headquarters.

Take advantage of all that expertise at the PGA Coaching Center, which offers a high-tech, data-driven club-fitting and instruction experience.

Cowboys Golf Club
Grapevine
If you're a die-hard fan of both the 'Boys and the links, here's where your passions combine. The par-72, 6,553-yard course is as swanky as you'd expect from Jerry Jones, with years of Cowboys history scattered throughout. Of course, with all this top-of-the-line design comes a rather hefty price tag for the green fees, but you do definitely get your money's worth.

Meadowbrook Golf Course
Fort Worth
The 18-hole regulation facility is considered one of the top in Texas, with a par 71 that covers the most rolling terrain in the city. It's also a popular course, with a golf association of more than 200 members who play regularly.

Stevens Park Golf Course
Oak Cliff
All 18 holes of this par-70 course were completely redesigned in 2011, including new tee boxes, fairways, greens, and bunkers. Even the carts boast newly installed TekGPS units that track yardages to the front, middle, and back of the green (and help keep play moving). Appreciate mature oaks, dramatic elevation changes, and great views of downtown Dallas while you traverse the course, which is also affectionately known as "Little Augusta."

Pecan Valley
Fort Worth
Originally designed by golf course architect Ralph Plummer in 1963, Pecan Valley is actually two 18-hole golf courses separated by the Clear Fork of the Trinity River. The "River" course is considered one of the top municipal courses in Texas, while the "Hills" course is approximately 150 yards shorter. Several hundred trees were semi-recently planted and are just beginning to mature, which only bodes well for playing conditions in the years to come.

Texas Star Golf Course
Euless
The accolades come rolling in for this course, which has been recognized for its beauty and serene atmosphere by Golf Digest and Golf Weekly, among others. Unlike most public courses, which back up to private homes or run along busy streets, this par-71, 6,529-yard course is truly secluded, surrounded only by ponds, waterfalls, woodlands, and fairways. Reasonable green fees are a bonus, with residents of Euless receiving a 15 percent discount with proof of residence.

Tierra Verde Golf Club
Arlington
As the first municipal course in the world to be certified as an Audubon Signature Sanctuary, Tierra Verde offers breathtaking natural scenery to go along with its challenging holes. The par-72 6,085-yard layout boasts some of the most uniquely designed holes in DFW, and was named the top course in DFW in 2012 by Avid Golfer.

The Tribute Golf Club
The Colony
Not had the chance to play Hogan's Alley at Carnoustie, Nos. 1 and 18 from St. Andrews, or the fifth from Royal Troon? Then you can experience the next best thing here in Texas, without having to fly across the pond. This par-72, 7,000-yard course is brilliantly designed while replicating the best links-style courses from the United Kingdom.

Waterchase Golf Club
Fort Worth
Like its name implies, Waterchase does indeed boast a cascading waterfall, found between the ninth and eighteenth greens. From tree-lined doglegs to split fairways, the risk and reward opportunities are abundant for the six sets of tees on the par-72 course. The club even received a nomination to Golf Digest's best new courses and promises to be "a round you'll remember."

Dallas steakhouse famous for big carrot opens location in McKinney

Steak News

McKinney gets its own location of an epic Dallas steakhouse: We're talking about Bob's Steak & Chop House, which is opening a location in District 121, the mixed-use development at the northeast corner of State Highway 121 and Alma Road, adjacent to Craig Ranch. It's opening on June 2.

According to a release, the expansion to McKinney represents a milestone for founder Bob Sambol, with roots that trace back to the original location on Lemmon Avenue since its inception in 1993.

The concept now has locations in Austin, downtown Dallas, Plano, Grapevine, and San Antonio, among others.

The McKinney location will have the same menu of steaks accompanied by baked potato and the restaurant's signature oversized carrot, plus a la carte sides, desserts, and seafood, as well.

The interior features a dining and bar area and cigar lounge done in jewel tones, and attentive staff, leather-bound host stand, custom green wallcovering, floor-to-ceiling fireplace made of calacatta marble, and sconces that resemble jewelry, which are said to cast a gentle glow upon the bar.

The grand opening of Bob's Steak & Chop House in District 121 has been in the works for more than a year. The restaurant is but one of many that are opening at the McKinney complex. Others include Mi Cocina, Common Table, 400 Gradi, the upscale Italian restaurant with Neapolitan pizza, and Zero Gradi, the dessert offshoot of 400 Gradi.

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