Community Brewing is Turning 2!

One of Dallas' favorite and older local breweries is turning two this month and they're throwing themselves a party. The Sig-O and I went to the 1st anniversary party, so we have no doubt that this one will be even bigger and better. Word of advice - get your tickets online and early - you may be able to get in, but don't you want the cool glass and first crack and the special oaked/aged beers or small batch releases? Get your tickets already. It's the best $25 you'll spend this week.

Southwest's Free Concert Celebrating the End of Wright!

Planning your weekend? Southwest Airlines is celebrating the end of the Wright Amendment and the Freedom to Fly with a FREE Sunday concert starting at 2 p.m. featuring Robert Early Keen, Jack Ingram and more at Klyde Warren Park. Get all the deets here.

Checking Out the Best State Fair of Texas Discounts

Supposedly some people still pay full price admission to the State Fair of Texas ($17 for GA and $13 for seniors and kids under 48 inches). That means a family of four is easily looking at $60 just for entry(not including parking, but we recommend taking DART). The good news is there are plenty of discounts you can get for admission. Here are the best discounts available for the State Fair of Texas:

·         Buy your tickets in advance

o   Online - Meh, you’ll only save $2 for GA and $1 for seniors/kids when you buy them at BigTex.com, but then you’ll pay almost $9 in shipping. Nevermind.

o   Kroger – You can buy GA tickets there for $15.50, but they don’t offer the senior or kids ones.

·         Season Passes – If you plan going to the State Fair at least three times (and we assume your cardiologist has given you a refill of your Lipitor), buy a season pass. For just $39.95 you’ll get your season pass, plus a one-day free guest ticket and free rides on the Texas Sky Way and Top o’ Texas Tower during special season pass event. Buy this one at Kroger to save $5.

·         North Texas Food Bank Deals – This one is always good for a great deal that helps people in our community. All food and drinks will be donated to the North Texas Food Bank.

o   Opening Day – Bring a full 20-ounce Dasani or Coca-Cola product and get in for $6. Everyone in your party needs to bring their own.

o   Wednesdays – Bring at least three cans of food on a Wednesday and you’ll get in for $3. Again, everybody needs to bring their own three cans.

·         Senior Deals – Ah, the luxury of getting older – Seniors get into the Fair for $4 off every day. AND, every Thursday is Senior Day, so those folks get in for FREE!

·         Dr Pepper Deals – Each person who brings and empty Dr Pepper can gets $5 admission on Tuesdays or $8 admission after 5 p.m. any day.

·         Coca-Cola Thursday – Bring an empty 20-ounce bottle any Thursday and get it for $6.

·         McDonald’s Coupons – Check your tray liner or bag for State Fair coupons. They’ve got ones that can save $3 off GA admission and $7 discounts for kids.

·         KISS-FM Fridays – Visit the KISS-FM site to print a coupon for each member of your group to get $5 off GA tickets.

·         Group Tickets – If you’ve got at least 20 people, you’ll start seeing the discounts rack up. But going to the fair with 20 other people in the group is going to make it hard to decide which ride to go on next.

***BONUS***

Discount on Midway rides – Tuesdays are a great day to go to the fair. You can get your $5 Dr Pepper ticket, plus all rides (except thrill rides and the Texas Star) are only six coupons! If you like going for the rides, this can be a big saver for you.

Restaurant Week Report: Canary By Gorgi

I have to share that we had the most delightful dinner at Canary By Gorgi on Saturday night. We hadn’t been there before, but after looking at Chef Gorgi’s RW menu, and knowing we could cross another off on our quest to eat at all 100 of the D Magazine Top 100 restaurants (we’re at 84 thank-you-very-much), we happily pointed our car north to Addison.

The 4^th course was actually the 1^st course, and was a poached shrimp on a grilled avocado with a puttanesca sauce. The warm tomato sauce and shrimp came together so well with the cooled avocado. We knew that if the rest of dinner was like this, we were certainly in for a treat.

I then had the seared sea scallops, which had a delightful gazpacho salad with them. What a welcome change to have a gazpacho salad rather than the usual, and often not done well, gazpacho soup. The Sig-O loved the escargot. Again, a welcome change being served in a Mediterranean pomodoro sauce rather than the usual garlic butter.

While I’m normally not a steak during RW person, the side of gnocchi with valdeon cream sauce convinced me to try the filet. So glad I did, as this is one of the places in town you can count on to cook your steak to the perfect temperature. When you ask for medium rare, that truly is what comes out, not the more medium pink that many places pass off as MR. The Sig-O was quite pleased with the lamb T-bone and grilled quail, “Wait, I get both.” Yes, it was quite the plate, and proof that Chef Gorgi knows how to treat RW diners right. When the table gets suddenly quiet after the entrees are brought, that is generally a good sign. We both agreed that this was one of the better RW menus we experienced.

But wait, there’s more! Desserts were the chocolate liqueur cake and the date and Turkish kefir butterfly. What a wonderful flavor juxtaposition we had with those two – chocolate cake was dark deep chocolate with a sweeter icing, while the butterfly was beautifully tart and well complemented by the sweeter date. Chocolate and kefir, what an interesting finish to our meal.

After so many years of RW and countless delicious meals, it’s so refreshing to see Chef Gorgi still embracing Restaurant Week and the cause behind it. More importantly, with his charming demeanor and delicious food, he’s enticed new customers to come back to his lovely little Addison gem. I know we’ve already decided to go back for our anniversary this fall, if not sooner.

Dallas Observer Brewfest is Coming! And We've Got a Presale Password for You!

Join Dallas Observer on Saturday, September 13th at the Dallas Farmers Market as we celebrate the 4th Annual Dallas Observer BrewFest presented by Whole Foods Market. BrewFest is an outdoor beer-sampling event and festival that will feature over 150 beers from around the globe, local food vendors and live music! Twelve (2oz) beer samples are included in the ticket price. Doors open at 6:00 for VIP and 7:00 for General Admission. 21+ ONLY We are excited to offer you this exclusive presale opportunity to purchase tickets before they go on sale to the general public! Starts: July 8 @ 10am Ends: July 10 @ 10pm Promo Code: IntheKnowDallas Public On sale: 7/11 @ 10am VIP Ticket includes: 12 – 2 oz. Beer Samplings from 150+ Beer Options PLUS Early Entry into Event one hour earlier at 6:00, access to VIP Area with liquor sampling and exclusive catered food. All Tickets Include: 12 – 2 oz. Beer Samplings, with additional sampling cards available for purchase at the event and Live Music All Guests must be 21+, with a Valid I.D. Websites: Website: www.dobrewfest.com Ticket Site: www.ticketfly.com/event/600187 Facebook Event: www.facebook.com/events/1431578153785792/ Event Hashtag: #BrewFestDAL

Brad Paisley Presale Password

Brad Paisley with Randy Houser, Leah Turner and Charlie Worsham Friday, September 5 Gexa Energy Pavilion Presale starts: Wed, Jun 25 at 10am Presale ends: Thu, Jun 26 at 10pm Use Password: loyalfan Public On Sale: Fri, Jun 27 at 10am

Decks in The Park This Thursday at Klyde Warren Park

For all the details, check out www.DecksInThePark.com