One of the things I love about the Bishop Arts District is that the majority of businesses are in walking distance from each other — on a evening you can easily explore the shops, have a glass of wine at one restaurant, an appetizer at another, and dinner at a third.

Dishcrawl Dallas is taking advantage of the close proximity of eight locally run restaurants for their next food crawl. For $10 you can snag a spot in the event on June 29, and dine at 303 Grill, Waldron Lodge, Whitehall Exchange, Dude, Sweet Chocolate, La Original Michioacana, Cafe Brazil, Espumosso Caffe, and Taqueria El Si Say.

The best part is that the proceeds from each ticket benefit local charities like the North Texas Food Bank, Scottish Rite, The Family Place, and Color Me Empowered. If you enter “cancersupport” at check out, five dollars of your ticket will be donated to the Cancer Support Community of North Texas.

Calories don’t count when it’s for a good cause, right? Find out more information and purchase tickets here.

Here’s a preview of some of the crimes you’ll find in this week’s blotter.

At around 3 p.m. on June 11, a burglar stole more than $2,000 worth of electronics from a house in the 100 block of North Hampton Road.

After 7:30 p.m. on June 11, a thief stole a couple of potted plants valued at $30 apiece from a front porch in the 1000 block of North Edgefield Avenue.

After 8:30 p.m. on June 11, a burglar stole two $5,000 bikes, $5,000 worth of tools, and a couple hundred dollars worth of meat and food from a shed in the 300 block of North Rosemont Avenue.

Between 9:45 and 10 a.m. on June 13, a thief stole a $500 Toro lawn mower from a backyard in the 600 block of North Clinton Avenue.

At 5:30 p.m. on June 13, a thief stole a purse containing $100 cash from an unlocked Jeep in the 1400 block of West Davis Street.

The annual Oak Cliff Chamber of Commerce gala is coming up on June 28, but you can still buy your tickets online. They’re $125 a piece, or you can opt for various sponsorship levels.

What’s in it for you? Well, for one, it’s at Gilley’s. So automatically, that sounds fun. But also there are amazing auction items, live entertainment, and a seated dinner. And the proceeds help the Chamber “spur growth in the area” — after all, that’s why you’ll see top business execs and city officials attending. Mark your calendar now.

(Source: Go Oak Cliff)

The folks at Go Oak Cliff have given us a little preview of the fourth annual Bastille on Bishop, set for July 14.

According to the group’s Facebook page, the image at left is a prop for a photo booth at the festival: “Plan to stop by the photo booth at Bastille on Bishop to get your picture made as ‘Napoleon & Frenchie’ by Cathey Miller Art Studio!”

Though I’ve been to Bastille in Bishop before, I showed up just for the wine-tasting and to watch some pétanque. I’d overlooked the event’s history until browsing the event’s website today.

“When Dallas was in existence for only 14 years … a group of 200 mostly French settlers lead by Victor Considerant who made their way from Houston by ox cart to setup a ‘utopian community’ … in what is now North Oak Cliff,’” reads a short history. “The community brought Dallas its first piano and beer brewery.”

Nice move on the beer. Imagine North Oak Cliff without it. Then, there’d be no Brew Riot — and fewer Golden Oaks Scholarships.

The Oak Cliff Chamber of Commerce’s Education Committee, along with Commissioner Elba Garcia and Constable Beth Villarreal, presented eight $1,000 Golden Oaks scholarships to graduating seniors who either live or attend school in Oak Cliff and who plan to attend a college or university in the Dallas, Tarrant, or Denton Counties at a reception last week.

Those students are: Juan Armijo (Adamson), Irene Escobedo (Molina), Carina Esparza (Adamson), Zainab Fatima (Townview Magnet Center), Sarah Flores (Tyler Street), Neftali Gomez (Townview Magnet Center), Jacob Hammonds (Bishop Dunne), and Ebeny Rangel (Pinkston).

Bishop Arts Development, the local subsidiary of Austin-based PSW Real Estate, has five applications on the agenda for Thursday’s meeting of the City Plan Commission. Also on the agenda is the Oak Cliff Chamber of Commerce’s application to rezone its potential office at the corner of Bishop and Fifth.

(Staff Photo: Rick Lopez)

Kidd Springs Central is hosting a meeting at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Kidd Springs Recreation Center to discuss updates on three projects in North Oak Cliff.

Bob Stimson, president of the Oak Cliff Chamber of Commerce, will offer an update on the chamber’s plans to relocate its office to 1001 N. Bishop Ave. (seen at left).

PSW Real Estate will announce a new development planned for 901 Cedar Hill Ave. that will create 44 single-family homes priced around $300,000 each by spring 2014.

Also, CityDesign Studio will present an update on the West Davis Corridor.

(Staff Photo: Sarah Bennett)

A group of protesters from the Dallas West Trailer Park caused an abrupt stop in the Trinity Corridor Townhall meeting last night at Methodist Hospital. Assistant city manager Jill Jordan was about halfway through her list of updates for the Trinity River recreation project when officials said the meeting would have to be rescheduled. Confused attendees quickly became upset, only to go outside and see the protesters with signs that read “homewreckers” and other slogans in English and Spanish.

Apparently, developers have purchased the land where the trailer park sits, and residents were notified two days ago that they must vacate. David De La Fuente, a staffer at U.S. Rep. Marc Veasey’s office, was present for the townhall and witnessed the outburst. When a protester recognized him, they began demanding a meeting with the Congressman.

We’ll keep you posted on any updates.

Click for larger image (Staff Photo: Rick Lopez)

It seems like a sign announcing the debut of Waldron Lodge appeared overnight at 408 W. Seventh St. — just around the corner from Bishop Street Market. It wasn’t my imagination; general manager Kenneth Cross (a Bishop Arts native) confirmed today.

Over the past few weeks, workers have made quite a transformation at the 1930s-era converted residence, even restoring the porch to a rustic glory fit for summertime people-watching. No doubt, Waldron Lodge will also change the landscape of dining in the Bishop Arts District.

The menu is loaded with exotic offerings: pulled boar chilaquiles, duck tacos, rabbit sausage stew, and something that sounds like the grandaddy of entrees: a 12-ounce ribeye with blue cheese potato galette and roasted carrots in a bourbon sauce. The kitchen, led by chef Beau Johnson, plans to open for dinner service every day except Saturday, when it will also serve lunch.

The backdrop at Zoe Muth’s performance tonight won’t be quite as striking, but it should still be a good time. 

Father’s Day is on Sunday, and if you don’t have plans for dad yet, we’ve got plenty of options. Man of Steel just happens to open this weekend, so why not take the Superman in your life to a viewing?

The Dallas County Community College District is pairing with DISD schools to provide a high-school programs showcase from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. this morning at El Centro West. It’s never too early to start thinking about college, and DCCCD provides many ways for high-school students to get a head start and begin getting college credit before they’ve even graduated.

The latest superhero installment, Man of Steel, has finally arrived, and Texas Theatre is giving you plenty of times to see it this weekend. It’s showing at 7 and 10  p.m. tonight.

Madison King performs at 8 p.m. tonight at Bar Belmont.

Try saying “Dave Alvin and the Guilty Ones” and “Zoe Muth and the Lost High Rollers” five times fast. Actually don’t. Anyway, both long-and-curiously named groups will perform at the Kessler Theater at 8 p.m. tonight, and if their music is anything like their names, you should be in for an entertaining evening.

Keep reading for more weekend fun! Read More…