cowboyeagle05

I work in Deep Ellum at a Certain 4.5 star restaurant and have been told that the owner and the Deep Ellum Association has offered free rent and move in expenses to the quality restaurants from New Orleans they are targeting particular restaurants and chefs the problem is contacting the owners and chefs even though they probaly left before the hurricane they are having a hard time contacting them they are trying to get them before Houston does. I am not aware of a well known area of Houston like Deep Ellum is for Dallas besides the crime and dirty look of Deep Ellum Dallas has a plan for Deep Ellum but as I understand Laura Miller wants to level Deep Ellum to turn it in to Office Parks. With two Dart Stations coming to the area and being between Fair Park and Downtown Dallas it could be advertised well to Restarant owners and Chefs and as being a non-disney area of delvelopment like some of the newer entertainment districts in Dallas.

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Flaming Moderate

You're kidding me ... about Laura Miller. From where did you glean she wants to level it? Are you serious? Deep Ellum is one of those cool places that makes Dallas special. Sure, it needs better police protection, but level it? It would be nice to get some quality restaurants in there.

carousel

Quite the opposite. Deep Ellum recently received a good deal of TIF money and their are plans to widen the sidewalks and beautify the area.

Insidetheloop

It's not the restaurant that makes a great restaurant, it's the people. If the kitchen staff pulled up stakes and took over a local restaurant for a time, they could work wonders. Certain marquee chefs are miracle workers to whatever they touch.

drycreek

Is it just me that's bothered by the fact that Dallas is try to "get to" NO chefs before Houston does? Essentially trying to capitalize off of NO misfortune? This bothers me.

frankchitown

I would think that a 4.5 star restaurant would be more professional about aquiring chefs. If they really wanted to help Katrina victims they wouldnt be hunting down chefs, they would be providing assistance to any victim who needed it.

JSteffen

Give me a break guys. Through every tradgety there is opportunity, dont be mad at people for capitilizing apone it. Most of these people DONT want to go back to NO, why not try to attract talented individuals here, for new jobs and a new life. This city has been very good at doing that. GIMME A BREAK.

cowboyeagle05

I was reluctant to post this info for the reason people might feel that Dallas citizens are greedy gremlins. First of all the 4.5 star restaurant i work for is fully staffed and business is great not needing NewOrleans Chefs and is not chasing New Orleans Chefs to work here. Second the Deep Ellum Associaton is merely trying to fill empty restaurant spaces to improve the community and they recognize this is a great oportunity to improve the community which yes includes business owners bottom lines and whats wrong with that. If new Orleans returns to some state of Normalcy they will fill back up with restaurants alot easier than Dallas can fill Deep Ellum at the moment. Alot of workers from New Orleans restaurants are jobless and this will help them find jobs to replace their income lost in the Disaster. I know this will be a postive for Dallas but it will also be a negative since the majority of the evacuees from New Orleans which is a very poor city will be livin on Dallas Tax Money for a while this will help Dallas supplement some the money being spent to help them hopefully get on better feet than New Orleans could do for them.

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dallastophoenix

i would think that these diff't cities (including dallas) attempting to get to people/businesses before each other is great for those that have been displaced. it's not at all a bad thing that dallas is trying to get as much new business as possible. it helps all of those involved.

rantanamo

IF you are going that route, Dallas will be fine. DFW is not taking on 250,000 like Houston is. I personally don't believe this though. Lots of hard working everyday citizens who were bothering no one have been displaced. They will job search and eventually work and pay rent like anyone else.

Insidetheloop

After checking into this a little further on my own, I found that none of the New Orleans chefs or kitchens with a Michelin Star attached to them are moving. You can give yourself 14 3/4 stars for this and that...but the Michelin Star is where the rubber meets the road.

Columbus Civil

I'm sorry but I'm not going to trust any restaurant rating bestowed by a tire company.

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Dallas uber alles

carousel

I bet some NO chefs would like the opportunity to work.

Insidetheloop

You know not of what you speak.

RobertB

Yeah, just look at the guy! Trust me, he *knows* food. Plus, he's French, which has gotta count for something.

__________________
As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals... Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. - B. Obama 1/20/09

Columbus Civil

He's made of friggin' tires! Besides...most fat people I see don't really eat good food, just mass quantities of junk.

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Dallas uber alles

dallastophoenix

the latest i heard about NO chefs. NYC is sponsering some sort of mentoring program to get the chefs there...

darkblood

Well it's good that they're encouraging new restaurants to come to Deep Ellum. That place is not too friendly-looking on a saturday night. Hopefully, Deep Ellum will look as good as Downtown Fort Worth.

Darkblood
*Walkin-fool*
-2k5

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"Bow down... bow down... before the power of Santa! Or be crushed... be crushed... by his jolly boots of doom!" --Elves:: Invader Zim episode 29, The Most Horrible Xmas Ever

Lakewooder

Star Chefs will attract crowds -- they are a destination in themselves...look how many people have flown to New Orleans for Emeril, even though when he started his restaurant was not exactly on the beaten path, even in N.O.

Gosh, I can just taste the etouffee and red beans and rice from K Paul's!! And those 25 cent martinis from Commander's Palace!

I saw in today's paper that the Brennans are creating a fund for displaced hospitality workers. Yes, those are the people who make the restaurant experience work. I can think of many waiters in N.O. who had been at their posts so long that they were institutions in their own right.

Brennan's has a restaurant in Houston -- it was featured in "Terms of Endearment" (Jack Nicholson "I can see we are going to have to get drunk." Shirley "Why?" Jack "To kill the bug up your ass!")

Brennan's had a location in Dallas at One Main Place in the 1960s and 1970s -- I would love to see them back with Miss Ella (Brennan) holding court!

vman

Two weekends ago, a friend and I went to Deep Ellum (haven't been there in way over a year) for the opening of Envy, a new hip hop club. The place was packed, lots of beautiful people, a cool crowd, and great music. Last night, after we left Obar downtown around midnight, we decided to go to Envy again.. I don't know what happened, but the place was totally dead. We left there and decided to walk around and find someplace else to go. I hate to say, I don't Deep Ellum will ever resemble what it once was. The clubs on Elm St. were all dead, even the old mainstays like The Bone and the Green Room we dead at 12:30!!!! Then we crossed over to Main St. and OMIGOD!!! The sidewalks and parking lots were filled with thuggy looking people (black and hispanic) just hanging out. I don't mean a few, I mean lots. This is by no means a racial post. I know this is Dallas, and being a minority myself, I know how Dallasites bail on a place when it gets to "dark". I just hated to see what has happend to "The Deep" I moved to Dallas in 2000, and Deep Ellum was were I lived. It was such a cool place to be. I can't believe how it has changed so quickly. I really hope people start going back, but I have little hope after seeing it last night.

tamtagon

Another way to look at, more historical, I guess: Deep Ellum is just now getting back the primary ethnic composition which named the neighborhood and initiated its musical legacy.

moopinator

I know! that's a HUGE reason why I moved from the Futura Lofts down to the Kirby. I was afraid to make the sprint across Commerce Street to the building. I remember 15 years ago when Deep Ellum was fun with the Video Bar, 2826, Aqualounge. People used to say it was dangerous then. They have no idea!!!

frankchitown

Hurricane Katrina: Culinary landmarks, imports take hit, but vow to return



September 9, 2005

By CAROLYN JUNG and ALETA WATSON / San Jose Mercury News

It is cherished as the place to revel in blackened redfish, boiled crawfish, he-man muffuletta sandwiches, achingly sweet pralines and beignets that coat you in a cloud of powdered sugar after the very first bite.

It is the home base of celebrity chefs Paul Prudhomme and Emeril Lagasse. It is famous for legendary restaurants such as Antoine's, Commander's Palace, K-Paul's, Nola and Galatoire's. And it is known as a major hub of production and transport for food products from coffee to shrimp.

But will New Orleans ever be all that again?

With the city focused on basic human survival now, it's too early to know how its famed restaurants and food companies will fare in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Those in the food industry are holding their collective breath in hopes that the people and businesses that infused New Orleans with its warm and generous "spirit of the table" will survive.

First 'fusion'

"It's one of America's food capitals," says Clark Wolf, a New York- and Sonoma-based restaurant industry expert. "New Orleans gave us a sense that there could be a regional American food style. It gave us the notion that food was about celebration, and taught Americans that a little spice never hurt. It's the original fusion cuisine in this country: Cajun."

Mr. Wolf is hopeful that some of the city's culinary dynasties, such as the Brennan family and Mr. Lagasse, will be able to pull through.

"One of the things that gives me comfort is that these people have restaurants in Las Vegas, Orlando and elsewhere — that they have the wherewithal to survive this," Mr. Wolf says. "People used to give Emeril grief about having so many restaurants. But now, thank goodness."

At least some of New Orleans' landmark restaurants appeared to be in relatively good shape after Katrina, though others sustained visible damage. The Los Angeles Times reported that half the façade of Commander's Palace was gone, as was one wall of Antoine's. Cafe Du Monde (the place for beignets and chicory coffee) and Central Grocery (home of the muffuletta) appeared to have sustained little damage.

'We will rebuild'

Paul Prudhomme's Cajun restaurant, K-Paul's Louisiana Kitchen in the French Quarter, was not badly damaged. Mr. Prudhomme, who was in Alabama, told The New York Times that he was planning to lead a caravan of trucks to his offices in Elmwood, La., Friday and cook in the parking lot there if need be.

"We've got generators, food and trailers. And we'll cook for anyone who needs it," he said, adding with a shout, "We're going home, baby!"

Salon.com reported last week that at Brennan's Restaurant — owned by the family that owns Commander's Palace and several other New Orleans eateries — Jimmy Brennan, some relatives and the restaurant's chef were sleeping on air mattresses and cooking food from the larder for themselves and French Quarter police.

"We have been instructed by the matriarchs that we will rebuild," family member Brad Brennan told The New York Times, speaking from his office at Commander's Palace Las Vegas.

The rest of the article can be read here

BigD5349

I haven't been down in a while, and I really hate to hear this. Had the Cowboys built their stadium out at Fair Park, I think the benefits would have rippled into Deep Ellum. I do believe that the continued languishing of both Fair Park and Deep Ellum are related issues. I know they serve different purposes and different crowds, but I do think they relate to each other.

I know the thinking is that when the DART stations come in, and when the infrastructure improvements are completed (street, sewer, etc), then Deep Ellum will rise again.

I have no confidence in the largest property owner, Westdale, to do anything imaginative down there. You know they are looking for ways to increase the property value post-DART, and I fear what the result will be.

If anything, continued languishing is an opportunity for Westdale to buy land on the cheap so it can be redeveloped for a tidy profit later.

Deep Ellum ought to be home to Dallas "Creative Class" -- musicians, architects, start-ups, etc. It should be funky & liberal-leaning, our creative core. What is irritating is that Deep Ellum is one of the greatest historical assets this entire region has. And we waste it. Deep Ellum is where you should find the soul of Dallas -- you won't find it in a collection of condos in Uptown.

That's easy for me to say, but creating the environment that attracts those types of interests in Deep Ellum is a way to start. How about a neighborhood-wide Wi-Fi zone? Any ideas?

God help us if Westdale decides to build a Camden @ Farmers Market type of development. If (or when) that happens, just shoot me now.

Ninjatune™

HA!... right.. that'll happen..

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tamtagon

I think Deep Ellum and East Dallas (Haskell/Peak Corridor) is perfect for mixed use office/residential towers....

CityLove

Just my opinion, but I think towers would ruin the vibe of Deep Ellum.

frankchitown

I dont think it would if it were done right...definately not some campus-style development. Deep Ellum could use some more height in various places to add more of a sense of place, and to segue into the CBD

Ninjatune™

I'm not disputing the fact such an idea wouldn't be successful, but that leveling Deep Ellum will never happen.. key word being "level"... development: sure .. leveling it: pipe dream.. I also find it hard to believe that Miller used the word "level"...

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tamtagon

true

BigD5349

I don't trust developers to "do it right"... It's so tricky. Deep Ellum is totally organic, and on the one hand, master-planning it seems dangerous. But on the other hand, if a developer can come in an build something that is totally profit-driven and not a fit, it would be damaging.

Deep Ellum's not comparable to other historic districts like Beale Street in Memphis and the French Quarter. In Memphis, Beale Street is it. In Dallas, Deep Ellum competes with (and is losing to) multiple other districts across the area.

An frankly, people in Dallas don't care for Deep Ellum the way other cities care for their historic districts. That's a pity.

tamtagon

Ya, a masterplanned city-within-a-city like Victory or West Village would be a logistical nightmare because those things must either appeal to the widest possible audiance, or a very affleunt niche. An art and music university would be the only master plan I would consider safe for Deep Ellum and greater East Dallas. Fair Park is a perfect experimental setting for conceptual art and music presentations, but I have no idea why UNT and Dallas County officials have not combined efforts to get a vastly expanded joint university campus: UNT-Baylor-DCCC to stretch from Baylor Hospital along the northern rim of Fair Park. Pie in the sky, I know.



I've always thought that was a good thing. Like, in the 80s, when I was hardcore, I got pissed-off when Deep Ellum became a weekend safari for suburban tourists. It just got too popular, too soft, and too contrived. Deep Ellum is best, IMO, when there's a big chunk of the homogenized stone-casting population too highly strung to consider any kind of excursion into Deep Ellum. It's only dangerous if you're a jerk to the people who like it rough.

I'm entirely relieved that this new "thug" trend is scraping the fluf off of Deep Ellum. Thankfully, CitiPlace and the West Village are successfully growing up into a destination to accommodate the topiary-set which steadily infested Deep Ellum during the past decade. Even better, LoMac is coiling to put an exquisite fop top on that particular Uptown party sceen.

BigD5349

Yeah, I prefer it to be edgy -- and I can definitely can see where the trendy white kids went (Uptown).

But, since an Apartment developer like Westdale owns tons of the property down there, I don't think they welcome the "thug trend". They will tend to want to fluff up Deep Ellum so they can make money. That's what scares me!

carousel

I have a small interest in a business in Deep Ellum. Trust me, Deep Ellum is seriously hurting. Most nights the streets are empty. And when they are not empty, the crowd is questionable. Women are scared to walk to their cars and street fights are a common occurence. Last New Years Eve on Elm street there was a street fight involving bats that lasted for a couple of minutes which seemed like an eternity. No cops in sight - truly amazing. Traffic on Elm was completely stopped due to the participants getting out of the car and engaging some fellows on the sidewalk. We called 911. Still, no cops. When cops did appear and we explained the situation their cocky response was less than encouraging - "Don't worry, there will be another fight and we will be ready." Pathetic.

Lakewooder

You have to remember that all the activity in Bryan Place and the proposed City Lights are just a couple of blocks from Deep Ellum. And the coming Gaston and Live Oak redevelopment is nearby. Also Baylor hospital has
large expansion plans in the works...and there may be a spillover from Farmer's Market/Camden...

When DART goes through and Deep Ellum is surrounded by redevelopment won't there be a good chance it will be hot once again?

I've been out in Deep Ellum and Expo Park not too long ago, and I didn't see the problems related above...also I know some of my suburban friends who are white have teenagers still venturing to Ellum...

carousel

I agree - Deep Ellum shall reemerge for the above-listed reasons. Hopefully, sooner rather than later.

dallastophoenix

it wasn't so bad when i was there a few weeks ago. it's always been sketchy, but i like the fact that it has a certain edge to it. too many dallas hotspots cater to the $30K millionaire anyway.

carousel

Today, there is a little tidbit in the DMN about Brandt Wood and some other property owners in Deep Ellum offering free rent for the remainder of the year for businesses from New Orleans. Supposedly, one company, called Mardi Gras, that offers party supplies has taken them up on the offer.

Lakewooder

Well, with a few more balconies we could definitely stage a Mardi Gras in Ellum -- it's probably the only place in Dallas where that could really work...also I'd like to see TX/OU Friday Night Street Party returned to prominence -- it's way too sanitized these days and has lost its appeal IMO. D.E. is much better than the West End for that, if it's not going back on Commerce...

tamtagon

es la verdad

carousel

The taste of New Orleans may be more readily available in Dallas soon, as the effort to recruit restaurants displaced by Hurricane Katrina intensifies.

With more people moving to downtown and the city pushing redevelopment, there are more restaurant customers downtown looking for choices. Some say the flavor of south Louisiana food would be welcome.

"Large businesses work downtown, and really when we entertain clients and business associates, we don't have any places to eat," said restaurant customer Cindy Woodruff.

The partying and the great food served up by New Orleans restaurants may not return to the French Quarter and other neighborhoods for months. The staffs of many eating establishments fled and scattered like everyone else.

So, some restauranteurs and club owners in Deep Ellum want to offer a menu of opportunities.

"I think Deep Ellum is the perfect place to have a sort of New Orleans in exile, if you will, to do its part," said restaurant owner Brandt Wood.

Wood said there are at least ten buildings in Deep Ellum where restaurants could move in; six are available immediately.

He said the Dallas and New Orleans restaurant associations like the idea, and are getting the word out.

"When New Orleanians see this, I think that we've got a great chance of getting two or three operators in the next month," Wood said. "That's my goal."

Wood owns some of the open spaces, and is offering free rent to any New Orleans restaurant through the end of the year. He also said the effort could provide a much-needed image boost to Deep Ellum.

RobertB

Is this supposed to be somehow worse than the situation a few years back, when thuggy looking people (white) were "just hanging out"? I guess I'll have to give you the benefit of the doubt when you say it's "by no means a racial post", and focus on the "thuggy" part. Personally, I'm more concerned walking down the street and seeing a big thuggy white guy than a big thuggy black/hispanic/asian/martian guy. Maybe that's because I spent much of my time in junior high trying to avoid getting beat up by big thuggy white guys.

Anyway... From reading this thread, the problem is lack of police attention, not the thuggy-looking-ness of the crowd. Besides, I thought Deep Ellum was all about "just hanging out". It was supposed to be a place where you can "come as you are" and not be required to conform. The preppies and the pierced were supposed to be able to pass on the street in mutual respect (or mutual laughter). Since when did you have to be "beautiful people" to be accepted in Deep Ellum?

There's another inconsistency. On one hand, there is all this fear of dark places (and dark people). On the other hand, there are other threads where DART is regularly blasted for its plans to get rid of the Good-Latimer Tunnel -- because it's a dark and unsafe barrier between Deep Ellum and the future DART station. Here's a deal for the fearful: let's keep the dark people (and the light ones too), and get rid of the dark tunnel.

__________________
As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals... Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. - B. Obama 1/20/09

Lakewooder

I posted this on another thread -- but it also seems relevant here:

Last night I was at the Lakewood Theater Balcony Club and a group of displaced New Orleans Jazz musicians showed up and put on a great show...it was wonderful to hear the NOLA accents as well!

carousel

Now, that sounds like a good night!

vman

I knew someone would consider my post to have a racist hint to it. And I apologize if it does. But if this were a pefect, fair, all men are created equal country, then you would have a point. Ever heard the phrase, "Never underestimate America's fear of the Black man"? You really don't hear about thuggy white guys as often as you hear about all the murder and mahyem from thuggy black ones. Turn on the news, what does the dangerous man being shoved in the back of the police car look like??? Let me guess...uhh black (or hispanic), baggy jeans , long baggy tshirt, tattooes, and a doo rag on his head. He looks a lot like the guys the newspapers and nightly news would show everytime they talked about the troublemakers in Deep Ellum. He looks a lot like the guys I saw hanging out in DE Friday. You have to remember, when big thuggy white guys hung out in Deep Ellum, it was still thriving. Now that the thugs are darker, it' dying. Sorry man, not the same thing.

RobertB

Excellent point -- perception vs. reality. We're conditioned to fear, even when that fear is misdirected. Thanks!

I would make the argument, though, that a well-balanced city needs a place where such stereotypes can be broken by those willing to look a little harder (and hold their wallet tight). Unfortunately, such radical folks tend to not blow money on status symbols -- like going to the "right" bar with the "right" people -- and refuse to be cash cows. I think that's the "edge" that Tamtagon is looking for. Bad for the profit-driven developers. Good (I hope) for Deep Ellum.

__________________
As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals... Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. - B. Obama 1/20/09

tamtagon

The edge I'm looking for is defined by the ability to make or do something artistic. It's the intellectual collateral which is the status symbol. Just like money in the pockets of folks at NorthPark, the good thoughts, musical talent, conceptual communication etc that pervade the Deep Ellum street scene is a fortune. Whether or not the propriators capable of turning a profit from this equity find Deep Ellum is secondary.

Also, the city needs a place for every group, every segment of the population can relax and feel safe behind the invisible social barriers created by stereotypes. It lets people really be themselves, when they know unlike-minded folks will not attempt to dilute the clutch. As important as it is to have an environment in which stereoptypes are not behavioral motivators, it's just as important to have community building environments in which future stereotypes begin.

BigD5349

Most of the property is owned by Westdale, a profit-driven developer. A developer of apartment complexes. They are waiting for DART rail, then hold on to your hats.

I am highly skeptical we're going to like the result.

Maybe I'm being unfair. But, whether you're talking about edgy-good or edgy-bad, I'm afraid we'll end up with a mish mash that's not edgy at all.

vman

Another murder in Deep Ellum this weekend. One of the news stations did a story on how this latest crime will affect business in the area. Did anyone happen to see it? It was either on Channel 8 or 33. I was heading out so I couldn't watch. I'm curious to know what was said.