Category Archives: Adam Sachs

by Steven Doyle | November 14, 2011 · 12:41 pm

Investigating the Con Artists

by Adam Sachs

I arrived at this year’s Art Conspiracy 7 not knowing what to expect, my experiences with the Dallas art scene mostly associated with visits to Deep Ellum and Design District galleries while living with an art-collecting roommate years ago.

The lively and freewheeling spirit echoing through the South Dallas warehouse was a vast departure from the more quiet and intimate exhibitions of my previous outings. This energy has been characteristic of the event since its first year in 2005; “the auctions were done by bullhorn the first year,” said Executive Team Member Erica Felicella. Continue reading →

Hidden Gems: Bottle Shop

by Adam Sachs photos by Suzi Migdol

Construction on Lowest Greenville has no doubt created obstacles for us to visit some of the neighborhood’s most beloved staple institutions, so it seemed curious that a new business would open in what seemed like a precarious state of affairs in the area. World Beer Company Bottle Shop has been open in its current location since May of this year, and was a perfect place to visit on a whim. Continue reading →

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Filed under Adam Sachs, beer, Drink Dallas, Greenville Avenue, Hidden Gems

by Steven Doyle | September 23, 2011 · 8:54 am

Hidden Gems: Garden Café, Beyond the Booze Bills

by Adam Sachs photos by Suzi Migdol

Crave reported last week about the vote that prohibited Garden Café from serving alcohol. In light of all the recent press on this issue, I thought it time to focus on Garden Café on its own terms. They have been around nearly nine years, and established themselves as a neighborhood institution with an identity that goes much deeper than the ability to serve beer and wine. I sat down with owner Dale Wootton and his son Mark to learn about the past, present, and future of Garden Café.

Dale Wootton purchased the building in 1991, thinking it was a “diamond in the rough” with an area that looked conducive to his favorite pastime of gardening. “I had all these plans [with the building] for what real estate appraisers call the highest and best use for land,” he said, “but I decided that I wanted to do what I wanted to do and not the highest invest use. So that’s why we came up with the idea of a garden, a peaceful relaxing place, where if you need some basil, you run out here and pick it.” Continue reading →

“To Life” with Charles Smith

by Adam Sachs

It was the first time I had seen my friend Kevin since April, when we were at a house party hosted by Pioneer Wine Company and Charles Smith Wines. This time we found each other at the same house for a an after-party for Pioneer’s portfolio tasting. I reminded him about the night before I flew to Walla Walla, Washington and saw Charles Smith’s newly opened downtown tasting room. Continue reading →

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Filed under Adam Sachs, Nightlife, Party!, Wine

by Steven Doyle | August 18, 2011 · 8:19 am

Chateau Musar, Tasting What is True at TexSom 2011

by Adam Sachs

When you are a winemaker you have the luck to work with something that is alive and you should never kill it.” -Serge Hochar

The final seminar of this year’s Texas Sommelier conference was “A Vertical Tasting of Chateau Musar,” a Lebanese producer I had tasted a few years ago during a D Magazine Supper Club event at Samar by Stephan Pyles. I remembered it tasting like a straightforward and refined Bordeaux blend, and was about to discover much more.

Master Sommelier James Tidwell explained the special significance Cheateau Musar held for him and Drew Hendricks, MS, and why they chose it as their first seminar focused on one producer. He then introduced the presenters of this seminar, Chateau Musar’s owner and winemaker Serge Hochar, and Paul Grieco, owner of Manhattan’s Hearth and Terroir. Continue reading →

Gilt City Launches, Fosters More Cravings with Foster the People

by Adam Sachs photos courtesy of Rebecca Lorrine Photography

A large city such as Dallas inevitably carries the clichéd paradox of letting me feel lost amongst a crowd of people when I go out. It was thus with definite curiosity that I accepted an invitation to check out the Gilt City Dallas Launch Party at House of Blues on Wednesday evening, featuring a live performance by Los Angeles’ Foster the People.

It was an exclusive party for members of Gilt City, not to mention that Foster the People have already played a few sold-out shows in Dallas. The scene was predictable at the House of Blues, a venue that cannot seem to recover from its poor acoustics, but nonetheless an iconic staple that can solidify any band’s reputation in this city. Continue reading →

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Filed under Adam Sachs, beer, Gilt City, Nightlife, Party!