Back in January I made a post about fellow half-Asian Hans Steiniger, who has a website that tracks his quest to attend a game in all of the stadiums in the NFL. Ever since I made that post, he’s become a fan of BagOfNothing and has been following almost daily.
Yesterday he sent an email, and here’s part of it:
I’m working on some things for the site and was wondering if you might be able to help me out. One of the things I’d really like to do for my website is collect some information on each NFL city, so visitors to each city can take it in like a true local. Wondering if you might help me fill in my list of bests and sport resources. Would you know the answers to the following in regards to Dallas?
- Top three Tourist attractions – things every tourist has to see.
- Top three local restaurants / eating spots – typically Dallas. The three spots a visitor to Dallas has to go to get some great local food.
- Top three locally brewed beers.
- Top three local foods
- Best places to tailgate for a Cowboys game
- Best Local Newspaper(s)
- Best Local SportsTalk Radio Station(s)
- Anything else a visitor to the Dallas has to check out before leaving …
Keep up the great work man, love the bag of randomness section … really good stuff there. I’ll continue to pad my resume to work toward selection into the half-Asian Hall.
So this is where you come in. Rather just have me represent all of the DFW sports scene, I thought I would open it up to my readers, and he can use your feedback for his site; but I’ll go ahead and answer, feel free to agree or disagree or add or take away from it . . .
Top Three Tourist Attractions
I really don’t think DFW is a fun touristy kind of place, but if you are looking for something pretty Texan, then you may want to go to the Stockyards in Fort Worth. The only other thing I think that sets this area apart from the rest is Dealey Plaza, the grassy knoll, and the Sixth Floor Museum. You can even take a picture on the white X that marks the spot where JFK was shot, just like this guy. Yeah, it’s not an upbeat sort of thing to visit, but it’s historic. Not too far from that area is Victory Park which is just outside the American Airlines Center, it’s kinda cool looking. Oh, and our baseball stadium isn’t too bad.
Top Three Local Restaurants
For the best chicken-fried steak and creamed corn in the entire universe you have to eat at Babe’s Fried Chicken. Sure, your heart is going to struggle to beat afterwards, but it’s well worth it. Besides, what doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger, right? I think the best BBQ in the area is Mike Anderson’s, but most folks would probably steer you to the Original Sonny Bryans. I’m trying to think of the best Tex-Mex in the area, but none are coming to mind.
Top Three Locally Brewed Beers
I don’t drink, so I can’t help you here. But I hear Esparza’s has the best margaritas in the area.
Top Three Local Foods
Since you asked about restaurants earlier, I think you are asking for some of the best cheap/fast-food in the area. Try Whataburger (lots of locations), Freebirds (a great big burrito), and . . . I can’t think of another. But maybe you are asking about food itself – so there’s BBQ, Tex-Mex, and chicken-fried steak. Oh, breakfast burritos are good in the area as well, and you can get those at Whataburger from 11 PM to 10 AM.
Best Places to Tailgate for a Cowboys Game
I really don’t know, and I’m don’t think Dallas lives up to the tailgating that you see in other places like Green Bay.
Best Local Newspapers
There’s obviously the Dallas Morning News and the Fort Worth Star Telegram, but I really can’t think of a third best paper. Maybe the Dallas Observer.
Best Local Sports Talk Radio Stations
There are only three sports radio stations. By far the best of them all is KTCK 1310 The Ticket. All of of sports fans (namely you, Nathan S!) will tell you to steer clear because they don’t always talk sports, but that’s why so many of us love The Ticket, it’s sports and all that may apply – which means a bunch of guy talk about pop-culture. The hard part is trying to figure out which show to listen to – I think most would recommend the morning show because everyone loves the Fake Jerry and Fake Wade. You can hear the most recent Fake Jerry and Fake Wade Phillips speak here. The other two sports stations are ESPN Radio 103.3 and The Fan 105.3 which is now the Cowboys station.
Well, that’s my two cents . . . readers – please weigh in.
Hello BoN followers. For best local food, I was thinking traditional Dallas Texan-type foods. Like Deep dish pizza in Chicago or Clam Chowdah in Boston. What is traditionally Texan cuisine. And while we're at it where are the best spots to get a great steak, maybe a couple moderately priced restaturants and then your five star dining experience. Certainly appreciate your assistance on this. I'll be in Dallas for a game in September (gotta check out the homage to America's Team), so check the site and let me know if you'll be at the game I choose.
You're such a big city bully! Live in a town WITHOUT a lake, a six flags, a professional sports franchise, two zoo's, 100's of themed festivals just about year-round in neighboring cities/suburbs, 30 shopping malls, and enough restaurants to eat somewhere different every night for a decade; and then you'll think Dallas is quite the tourist destination.
I would throw in the Ft. Worth Zoo and the Dallas World Aquarium into those fun thing to do in Dallas.
I forgive you…
As someone who group up visiting Dallas as a vacation spot, I would add Six Flags as an attraction. For local beer I would dd Bj's Brewhouse. They have a sampler so you can try several different beers.
Dude . . . you're talking to someone who grew up in Mineral Wells and went to school in Abilene!
heh.. the 103.3 rant was already raging in my head before I even got to the end of the post to see I had been called out.
103.3 (serious sports) > the ticket (7th grade locker room humor).
and for texmex how bout JoeT's?
How about Pioneer Park in Downtown Dallas?
It's pretty impressive, from a cultural point of view.
How about El Fenix or Dos Rios for texmex food, Burger House (the original on Hillcrest near SMU) or Goff's (also now on Hillcrest near SMU, go figure) for a good burger, and Bubba's for great fried chicken and the best mashed potatoes and rolls anywhere … and yes, Bubba's is on Hillcrest between the two burger joints…
The Original El Fenix is good. The others suck. Joe T's is great. Shiner Bock is the beer you must drink.
Sports Radio 1310 The Ticket is a unique Dallas institution. It is unlike any other sports station in the country. I travel a lot and the Ticket sets Dallas sports apart.