Whipped feta dip is a tangy creamy treat to share at 5 Dallas restaurants

Dip News

Lila Levy

Editor's Note: In February, bagel fanatic Lila Levy crafted a list of top bagels in Dallas. In March she tackled flavored lattes. Now she's digging into a trendy cheese dip.

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A Mediterranean cheese dip that went viral on TikTok is showing up in Dallas restaurants, and we're ready to dig in.

We're talking about whipped feta dip, a creamy tangy dip starring feta cheese, the sharp white fresh cheese you used to be able to find primarily crumbled on Greek salads.

Feta cheese is actually centuries old, but it re-emerged in late summer 2022 as a social media phenomenon with videos showing people making it at home with easy recipes that use as few as three ingredients such as feta, yogurt, and honey. Whip in a blender, pour into a bowl, sprinkle with black pepper or herbs. Add celery sticks or pita chips, and you have an instant party starter.

But restaurants are adding their more culinary spin, and their versions are not only a tasty snack to share with friends, they also provide inspiration for what you can try at home.

Here's five fun whipped feta dips being served at Dallas restaurants, in order of how good they were, from best to the rest:

Sachet: Fattoush salad, $15
Fattoush is a Mediterranean "fried bread" salad with chopped vegetables and pieces of fried pita. Sachet, the Mediterranean restaurant on Oak Lawn Avenue, does a version with grape tomatoes, cucumber, radishes, and thin pita "croutons," surrounding pools of whipped feta. In this dish, the whipped feta functioned more as a creamy dressing than a dip. It was blended until extremely smooth, to the consistency of sour cream,with a sprinkle of sumac that added a little hit of tartness.

Taziki's Cafe in Plano: Whipped feta dip, $7
Alabama-based chain has two DFW locations, in Plano and Southlake, both of which serve this simple but satisfying whipped feta dip, which has spawned many a copycat recipe. You can order it with pita or raw vegetables, which included very fresh stalks of carrot, celery, and yellow squash, a nice change of pace, plus sliced cucumbers. The dip included cream cheese as an ingredient which created a pleasingly firm consistency; I used a knife to spread on my veggies more than I dipped. It was drizzled with honey instead of the more predictable olive oil, and the sweetness was a great counterpoint to the savory dip.

Ziziki's whipped feta Dip trio at Ziziki's includes artichoke hummus (top left), hipiti (top right), and spinach feta (bottom).Lila Levy

Ziziki's at Travis Walk in Dallas: Dip Trio, $18
Longtime Dallas institution includes whipped feta on its dip trio in two of the three dips: Hipiti, a spicy feta dip with red bell pepper, and spinach-feta. The spinach-feta had more spinach than feta; it seemed like the feta had been added merely to bind it together, and was the least interesting of the three. The hipiti was incredible: smooth, tangy, spicy, and addictive. The third dip was artichoke hummus, creamy and good, although the artichoke presence was subtle.

Tommy Bahama at Legacy West in Plano: Hummus and Whipped Feta, $16
Who would guess that this island-themed chain would have whipped feta on the menu, but that only shows what a big trend it has become. You get the two dips on a large plate, with at least 16 wedges of soft grilled flatbread for dipping. Their whipped feta had a pure feta flavor - almost like it could have been straight feta cheese, except the texture was so creamy. It had a hollowed-out area on top into which sherried honey figs were spooned - yet another version that capitalized on the contrast of the tangy and savory dip with the sweetness from the figs, with great results.

whipped feta Tommy Bahamas Whipped feta dip at Tommy BahamasLila Levy

Cava in Addison: Whipped feta with pita chips
If anyone has helped mainstream whipped feta, it's this DC-based chain which sells their trademark "Crazy Feta" as a grocery item at stores such as Whole Foods. Oddly, it’s not an official menu item at their actual locations (10 around DFW), although they'll accommodate by doling out a spoonful into a container that would ordinarily hold to-go salad dressing. They call their version "crazy" because the recipe includes jalapeño and onions, but its salty flavor makes it better as a kind of garnish, to add a zesty flavor to their various salads and bowls.

Photo courtesy of Neon

How to Blow Up a Pipeline is a message movie with the urgency of a thriller

Movie Review

A lot of issue movies sanitize or soften their messages through a broader story or by using movie stars. The new film How to Blow Up a Pipeline doesn’t have time for that. It gets right to the point with a brazen title and story that never strays from its central thesis.

From minute one, the film’s characters — a group of eight environmental activists — are shown engaging in acts of sabotage to try to get the world to understand the harm fossil fuels are doing to the planet. The film quickly shows them gathering together at a dilapidated house in West Texas to plan and execute the title mission, filling in various characters’ backstories as it goes along.

Each has their individual reason for going to this extreme. Xochi (Ariela Barer) and Theo (Sasha Lane) live in Long Beach, California, with both Xochi’s mom and Theo herself experiencing negative health consequences from a nearby oil refinery. Michael (Forrest Goodluck) in Parshall, North Dakota is angry at a pipeline that's been built on indigenous land. Dwayne (Jake Weary) lives near Odessa, Texas, and is trying to prevent a pipeline being built on his property.

Directed by Daniel Goldhaber and written by Goldhaber, Barer, and Jordan Sjol, the film is based on a book of the same name by Swedish author and professor Andreas Malm, who has also covered the subject for publications such as The Nation and The Guardian. The filmmakers don't hide their agenda, but they also don't bog the story down with the intricacies of the climate debate. For the purposes of this movie, it's sufficient to know that each person has reached the point where he or she believes that blowing up a pipeline is the logical next step for them.

If the story wasn't about a real-world issue, you could view it as a fun, Ocean's Eleven-style crime film. Every person in the group has their specialty, including an explosives expert, planners, getaway driver, and more. And like any group of disparate people with a common core belief, some are more dedicated to the cause than others, including a possible rat in their midst.

Flashbacks in the story not only serve to give crucial background information on the characters, but also show that the impact of oil pipelines, refineries, and drilling is not confined to just certain parts of the country. The movie is a far cry from subtle overall, but the filmmakers let the visuals do the work in many instances.

Each of the stars was born in 1990 or later, so the millennial urgency of the story feels earned. They have all gained some acclaim, either in films or TV, with Lane arguably the most well-known of the group. Like any good group film, every actor gets a chance to shine; it will be interesting to see if any use this as a stepping-stone to bigger movies.

How to Blow Up a Pipeline is an urgent call to pay attention and do something about climate change. If the fact that it’s also a highly watchable movie with bright young stars makes it an easier pill to swallow, so much the better.

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How to Blow Up a Pipeline is now screening in select theaters.

Photo courtesy of Neon

Ariela Barer in How to Blow Up a Pipeline.

Photo by Michele K. Short / Universal Pictures

Vampire movie Renfield unleashes great rivers of blood but not much else

Movie Review

For the majority of vampire movies, there are two ways to go: scary or funny. Having a blood-sucking monster as the villain makes "scary" the natural option, but plenty of filmmakers have had fun with the subgenre, including Robert Rodriguez (From Dusk till Dawn), Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi (What We Do in the Shadows), and more.

The new film Renfield leans hard into the latter path, but the filmmakers don’t stick with comedy all the way through. The film also has a misplaced confidence that doesn’t always serve it well.

Renfield is named not after a vampire, but a man (Nicholas Hoult) who has been a longtime grudging assistant to Dracula (Nicolas Cage). But procuring victims for the Prince of Darkness is not exactly a fulfilling job, and Renfield turns to support groups for help.

Run-ins with police officer Rebecca (Awkwafina) and Tedward Lobo (Ben Schwartz), son of mob boss Bellafrancesca (Shohreh Aghdashloo), offer a chance at separation, but not without pushback from Dracula. Through a series of orgies of bloodshed, Renfield and Rebecca take on all-comers, with Dracula waiting in a final showdown.

Directed by Chris McKay and written by Ryan Ridley based on an original idea from The Walking Dead’s Robert Kirkman, the film is similar to the recent Cocaine Bear in that it derives a lot of its laughs from its graphic violence. There is no pretense to any of the carnage; almost every kill is accompanied by an explosion of blood, as if human skin was merely a thin balloon that gushes forth a flood of gore when opened in the right (vicious) way.

The effect of that style works well when it’s used, although the lack of variety makes for diminishing returns. It’s when the filmmakers are dealing with any other part of the story that they fumble the ball. Much is made of the mob side of the story with little effort put forth to actually make those characters interesting. And the juxtaposition of comedy and over-the-top action scenes makes for a somewhat jarring experience.

Cage is great casting as Dracula, and when he’s allowed to let loose, it’s entertaining, but they don’t go to him as often as you might think. Hoult puts on a similar demeanor as he did as a zombie in Warm Bodies, and he’s very enjoyable when he’s not involved in fight scenes. Awkwafina, Schwartz, and Aghdashloo all seem a little miscast in their respective roles.

Photo by Michele K. Short / Universal Pictures

Nicholas Hoult in Renfield

Renfield is one of those films where the wild moments overshadow the fact that it doesn’t really have much else going for it. The rivers of blood that are unleashed are great for shock value, but the film as a whole is as empty as the bodies left behind.

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Renfield opens in theaters on April 14.

Photo by John Medina/Getty Images

Taylor Swift wows crowd at first of three sold-out nights in Arlington

Concert Review

Friday night, pop megastar Taylor Swift brought the first of three sold out nights to AT&T Stadium in Arlington, delivering a three-hour show that spanned highlights of her illustrious career.

Called the "Eras Tour," it's part of a U.S. tour that began in March and extends through August and serves as a career retrospective, featuring tracks pulled from key albums including Lover, Fearless, and Evermore.

Swift is only 33, but already has 10 albums under her belt, and has explored a variety of genres, from country to pop to indie. The show artfully displayed her evolution as an artist, demonstrating how she has matured from teen pop star to seasoned performer able to connect with a wide demographic.

Every performer has fans but a Taylor Swift show is on another level: Virtually every one of the 70,000 people in attendance at AT&T seemed to know every song and every lyric. The audience was probably 80 percent women, lending a subtly empowering aspect. (I had seats on the floor and counted a total of 10 guys in my section, which had about 60-80 seats.)

The show was impressively staged. After openers Muna and Gayle had completed their sets, Swift's entrance was preceded by the image of a countdown clock, ticking down, setting off a wave of raucous screams.

The show cycled through albums, with Swift performing a few tracks from each, though not necessarily in chronological order. It was almost like a series of well-orchestrated mood swings, from fast-paced dance hits to the more subdued music of her 2020 album Folklore.

In between albums, the show would pause for mini-interludes, oftentimes with a video, serving as a transition and giving the stage crew time to quickly usher in a new set of props, many quite elaborate.

For example, the Folklore segment featured a quaint moss-covered A-frame house, complete with a chimney wafting smoke, as she crooned to the tour debut of her hit "The 1."

Taylor Swift 3-31-2023 Set piece from Taylor Swift show at AT&T Stadium in ArlingtonGeoff Keah

During her Evermore set, a background video showed a dark, moonlit forest adorned with dark green trees reaching into the sky. Black-cloaked dancers emerged, slowly swinging glowing orange orbs as Swift crooned the haunting lyrics to her hit "Willow."

That segued into her Reputation album, summoning the fast-paced energy reminiscent of her 2018 tour, as she kicked it off with the rambunctious hit "…Ready For It?"

She also played the 10-minute version of "All Too Well" from the Red album, a song that was originally five minutes long but which she re-recorded in her effort to regain control of her music after her back catalog was sold behind her back.

Setlists for this tour are being posted hours after each performance, including shows in Arizona and Las Vegas, a fact that Swift playfully acknowledged.

“You think you can just scroll the setlist? You think you can just come prepared? Let it be said about The Eras Tour … there’s hijinks,” she said, before offering surprise acoustic renditions of "Sad Beautiful Tragic" and "Ours."

The final half hour closed out with hits from her latest album Midnights, including “Lavender Haze” and “Anti-Hero." There wasn't an encore, but after a sprawling three-hour set that never flagged, it wasn't needed or missed.

Leading up to the weekend, there were gloomy reports anticipating traffic issues, but many fans arrived early and entrance to the venue went smoothly with virtually no lines even an hour prior to the show.

She'll be in Arlington for two more nights, on April 1 and 2.

Photo by John Medina/Getty Images

Taylor Swift on Eras Tour, Glendale, Arizona

Geoff Keah

What it was like to be a contestant on Alton Brown's show in Dallas

Foodie News

NOTE: Geoff Keah, a food-savvy Dallas resident, attended the Alton Brown show in Dallas on December 10 and shares his first-person account of participating as a contestant on stage.

I thought I knew my steaks — but I got tripped up by the T-bone.

That was my downfall when I joined culinary whiz Alton Brown on stage as a contestant in his Alton Brown Live: Beyond The Eats - The Holiday Variant! show at the Music Hall at Fair Park.

Since 2013, Brown has periodically mounted this culinary variety show tour featuring food trivia, cooking lessons, and a game show with volunteers.

I've always been an AB fan - I love his quirky way of introducing the science behind why things work the way they do when cooking/baking. His style isn’t for everyone, which makes it even more appreciable.

I brought my dad along for the ride, which included tickets to a pre-show VIP Q&A featuring Alton and his wife, Elizabeth: It consisted of a 30-minute session where attendees asked whatever they wanted about his shows such as Good Eats and The Next Iron Chef, as well as a multitude of questions about food.

The official show opened promptly at 7:30 pm, when Brown and his band played a comedic, holiday-themed ditty, followed by a bit called "Rolodex of Regrets" -- humorous outtakes from various times in his life. One example involved his Aunt Verna and a case of mistaken chocolate that turned out to be Ex-Lax.

alton brown The T-bone was especially tricky.Geoff Keah

Fun and games
Next came the game show segment, requiring volunteers from the audience. Many raised their hands, but luckily enough, I was seated dead center in the front row, right in front of the mic, and got called on stage, along with my two food-savvy opponents, a woman named Liz and another woman named Chris.

In the first round, Alton asked culinary questions, often bizarre, and we hit our buzzers to answer. Unfortunately, I scored only one point here, and I can't even recall the question. Years of Toastmasters go out the window when you’re in front of a live audience and Alton Brown is the emcee.

For the next round, we each faced individual challenges. These would determine who would reign supreme.

Liz had to identify ingredients that were in one of his famous recipes.
Chris had to identify tins of spices. (Post-segment, one of the producers said this challenge was harder than you’d think. He said that people usually take a big sniff of the first tin, and it’s so overpowering, it throws off their palate for the rest of the segment.)
I had to identify cuts of beef.

I was led to a chalkboard-style diagram of an Angus Beef Chart and tasked with correctly placing a whole slew of beef cut tags -- brisket, chuck, skirt, rib eye, filet, sirloin - into their corresponding areas of the cow. All within a glorious 60 seconds.

The T-bone was especially tricky, because it also includes the filet/tenderloin as well as the strip steak. I am certain I could nail this sitting in the comfort of my own home, but when the pressure is on, things go south quickly!

And yet, I still made second place. My prize: a four-inch golden trophy with the show logo stickered onto the side. Liz, who'd skunked us all in the first contest, won first place.

My time on stage now done, I could sit back and enjoy the ride, but Alton wasn't done with me yet.

Intermission
After intermission came the "spicy segment," in which contestants must eat spicy wings on stage.

A pair of 22-year-old twin girls from Louisiana, who'd also attended the VIP segment, were selected, and powered through some pretty spicy wings with aplomb.

They threw Alton off his game so much, that he approached me in my seat and asked what was in my drink that I'd left sitting on stage. "Vodka," I said. He chugged half my drink and gave me his nutmeg in exchange.

Post show note: Some of us were able to taste the chicken wings. They had a nice heat signature/zing, but they weren’t nearly as hot as you might expect.

Concert review: Garth Brooks plays for real at AT&T Stadium in Arlington

Concert review

Seven years after his last area appearance, country singer Garth Brooks returned to North Texas on July 30, performing an electrifying two-hour concert that was as much a raucous, career-spanning show as it was a thank-you letter to the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

In each city on Brooks' current Stadium Tour, the 60-year-old singer has paid tribute to one or more of his musical heroes, making no two shows the same. In Charlotte, NC, he played several James Taylor and Randy Travis songs. Salt Lake City was treated to three Keith Whitley covers. Birmingham got four Lynyrd Skynyrd songs.

On Saturday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Brooks paid tribute to another entity that helped shape his career: Dallas-Fort Worth. In between nearly every song, Brooks reminded the sold-out crowd of about 90,000 of the instrumental role North Texas has played in his 40-year career.

"This is where we all started," he said multiple times, name-checking local bars and clubs, such as Cowboys and Borrowed Money, where he got his start in the late 1980s. "We lived here for the first two years of our careers."

He reminisced about past shows at American Airlines Center, the old Reunion Arena, and the now-gone Texas Stadium, where he played a string of special effects-laden shows in 1993.

Saturday's show put a clear focus on the music. Brooks' theatrical entrance — emerging on a platform beneath a rising drum kit — were about the show's only bells and whistles. Four large video screens, one on each side of the in-the-round stage, made sure every seat was a good one.

Following a short set by his wife, Trisha Yearwood, Brooks — dressed in a western shirt, Wranglers, boots, and cowboy hat — took the stage a little after 9:30 pm.

Backed by his longtime band, he opened with a triplet of boisterous, bar-room audience favorites — "All Day Long," "Rodeo," and "Two of a Kind, Workin' on a Full House" — that set the tone of the show.

"We brought ALL the old stuff," he said before launching into "The Beaches of Cheyenne," a cut from his third album, 1995's Fresh Horses.

During classics such as "Papa Loved Mama," "That Summer," and his cover of Billy Joel's "Shameless," Brooks roamed and ran across the stage like a 20-year-old, waving and pointing to fans, reading their signs aloud and, in one instance, wishing someone a happy birthday. By the middle of the show, he'd worked up such a sweat, his purple shirt appeared black.

At times the show seemed meticulously choreographed, as during "Standing Outside the Fire," when video screens lit up with images of smoke and flames. Other times, it felt refreshingly casual: During the acoustic "Unanswered Prayers," most of the band sat down on the stage and talked to one another while Brooks performed.

Later, Brooks strummed through acoustic versions of "The Red Strokes" and "We Shall Be Free" — requests he spontaneously plucked from the audience.

Throughout the show, Brooks wore his humility on his sleeve, introducing each member of his band, many of whom have been with him since 1988, along with his crew. Yearwood was given the I-love-you treatment from Brooks: The two shared a duet, a cover of Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper's "Shallow," and an on-stage kiss.

The show was punctuated by a few guest appearances. Burleson native April Beck – a friend of Kelly Clarkson — joined the band for several songs, as did members of the G-Men, a group of Nashville studio musicians Brooks has worked with since he began his recording career but who've seldom performed live with him.

The G-Men were responsible for the show's most unforgettable moments. When Brooks introduced fiddle player Rob Hajacos, telling him to look at the audience he’d helped build, Hajacos became visibly choked up. Later, G-Men guitarist Mark Casstevens, a Fort Worth native, innocently shuffled about the stage before playing the first four notes of "Friends in Low Places," steering the band into a rambunctious highlight of the show.

Before the song ended, Brooks revealed to the audience that the song's seldom-heard third verse was written in — where else? — Dallas.

Video screens surrounded the in-the-round stage.

Video screens surrounded the in-the-round stage.

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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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