Dining With Delia Jo

Steins of beer, sauerkraut, and bratwurst, oh my! Sound like your cup of (insert German word for tea)? I've got just the thing for you. One of the largest and most authentic Oktoberfest celebrations outside of Munich takes place right here in Addison, Texas, and this year it'll be celebrating its 30th anniversary on top of this year's festivities on September 14-17. The nation's best Bavarian blast draws over 70,000 fans to Addison to partake in the German food extravaganza, plentiful polka, and of course, beer. In fact, attendees will enjoy the same Paulaner Bier that will be served at Oktoberfest in Germany. In addition to the same authentic beer, you'll also find similar activities, music, sing-a-longs, and polka dancing, and definitely the food that an attendee would find in Munich. I know you're thinking "Why don't they have Oktoberfest in October?"  right? But in an effort to keep the fest totally authentic, Addison time

Photo courtesy of District 30 District 30 was named after the actual congressional district it's found in, the 30th congressional district in Texas. Located in the heart of Oak Lawn, the name District 30 was meant to represent the people in the district: diverse, yet united as one, the goal to provide a place for truly everyone to dine, sip, and gather. With that in mind, the menu features a number of different cultural influences, with modern twists on favorite comfort foods and other inventive gastropub fare. The concept opened about 8 weeks ago and celebrated with a VIP grand opening party earlier this month. District 30  is somewhat masculine and modern with lots of dark wood and leather, some roomy booths, and a misted dog-friendly patio outside. We went in for a menu sampling a couple weeks back, and I was really pleased with how well they truly executed the word "gastropub". Color me happy when I discovered that their Chicken and Jalapeno Dumplings dish was d

Roti Modern Mediterranean's motto is "Food that loves you back". With build-your-own rice plates, salads, Laffa wraps, and pita sandwiches, you can add your choice of proteins, sides, toppings, and sauces. I can vouch that this food absolutely did love me back, as I felt good and energized all day after dining there for lunch. No midday slumps here! Roti Modern Mediterranean, a Chicago based fast casual restaurant, opened its first Texas location this earlier this summer at McKinney & Olive in Uptown. A build-your-own bowl, sandwich, salad, or wrap concept, you add your proteins, sides, toppings, and sauces, loading up your healthy meal to your liking. Add a side of Spicy or Regular Hummus, with house-baked pita bread, and you've got a well-balanced, very filling meal. (Not used to healthy stuff? I just tell my stomach it's Mediterranean chips and queso - does the trick!) Check out the menu below to decide what you'd create at this new heal

I've long been a fan of Razzoo's Cajun Cafe, a Texas born restaurant that features scratch-made Lousiana favorites. All locations are locally owned, and the 26-year-old restaurant has most of its locations in Texas, with one in NC, and some new spots TBA in the near future. Some of my favorite fried indulgences at Razzoo's are the "Rat Toes" on their appetizer menu. If you love a bit of spice, ignore the name and order up some of these jalapenos stuffed with shrimp, crab, then battered and fried, served with a Cajun Buttermilk sauce for dipping. And that's just scratching the slippery surface on all of the house-made delicious sauces at Razzoo's. National Hot & Spicy Food Day is Saturday, August 19, so in anticipation of that awesome food holiday, Razzoo's  invited us out for our own little sauce tasting, AKA Delia' Paradise. I was NOT aware that Razzoo's cooks up FIFTEEN different sauces in house, and once I found this out, I cou

Who doesn’t love a great happy hour? If you’re looking to beat the rush hour traffic in Dallas, heading to happy hour at Bowl & Barrel is just the thing to keep you occupied while everyone else is stuck on the highway daydreaming. Stationed in the Shops at Park Lane, just across the highway from Northpark mall, Bowl & Barrel wants everyone to have a good week with their $5 “Bourbon and Burgers” Happy Hour. Yes, that is NOT a typo! On Monday through Friday (Dallas location only), Bowl & Barrel offers “Bourbon and Burgers” for $5 bucks from 4pm-6pm! And if you’re a late-night owl, you can still catch this deal from 9-10pm as well. I’ve done the homework for you and stopped by to check out this great deal! If you want to keep things basic, the bacon burger and fries is classic. Angus beef, bacon aioli, and cheddar cheese all served on an egg bun is sure to keep your palate satisfied. The fries were PERFECT. Seasoned to perfection and perfectly crisp, w

Taverna Rossa is a popular destination for pizza, patio views, and drinks in Plano. Since its opening in 2012, they've made a name for themselves among Collin County residents with their signature thin crust gourmet pizzas, craft cocktails, beer selection, and crave-worthy salads. A few new food and drink items have just been added to the menu. Cocktail-wise, you must hurry to quench your summer thirst with "Mr. Sandia" (insert description from IG). There's also a new fruity tiki drink, a kiwi cooler, and a coffee based after dinner libation. Mr. Sandia On the edible side of things, the Orzo Caprese small plate impresses, with fresh summery flavors, a bright cashew pesto and aged balsamic mixed with chilled orzo and Maldon sea salt. Orzo Caprese Salads are actually a really enjoyable experience at Taverna Rossa, and that's for sure not something you'll hear from me very often. I've even come to TR just to order a salad before. All of th

Gigi's Cupcakes nationwide launched their summer flavors earlier this season with a selection of fun, limited time flavors and I popped in to check out some of them. My favorites were the Banana Pudding, Blueberry Lemon,  and Banana Split but, with so many delicious cupcake choices with spot on frosting flavors (these are so important and so hard to master), it's hard to go wrong with anything on the menu at Gigi's. I've eaten Gigi's cupcakes for years but only recently learned the history behind the name. Looks like we both found our way to Nashville for a time, for different reasons, yet somehow we both ended up in food-loving professions. Gigi Butler was a singer/songwriter in Nashville, Tennessee. She never in her wildest dreams imagined that she would begin what would morph into the largest, fastest growing cupcake franchise in the nation. After spending years playing the grueling club scene in Music City, she decided that the 3 AM closing time was no