Steve Shatsky - Dallas Real Estate & Short Sale Specialist (469)449-9840

I have been on a bit of a dining adventure lately and one of my recent stops on this world food tour was an exciting restaurant in the heart of Dallas' Oak Lawn neighborhood called Bengal Coast. Bengal Coast is located in the Centrum Plaza building at the corner of Cedar Springs and Welborn and features food and flavors of what they describe as "the other Asia".

The other Asia consists of India, Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia and the foods and flavors that these countries have inspired at Bengal Coast make for delicious dining. The food is a flavorful combination of meat, poultry and seafood items served in a variety of ways from wraps and kebobs to curries and stir frys. There are also several menu options for those seeking a vegetarian meal.

The food combines with an exciting and contemporary elegant décor for an outstanding overall dining experience. I know that it is odd to suggest this, but while you are there, be sure to experience the unique restrooms. I won't say more, but it's worth checking out, even if only to wash your hands.

My recommendations of "don't miss" items include the Lettuce Boat appetizers and the Bangkok Prawn Stir Fry. The Cool Beans Chaat that is served as a side dish with some menu items is another unique, flavorful and a genuine treat. Also, ask your server to inquire about the availability of a Chocolate Spring Roll for dessert. It is rich and delicious and not on the menu... you have to ask for it... but be warned, eat it very carefully or you could get very hot chocolate filling squirted on you!

Bengal Coast was a tasty, out of this hemisphere, food lovers experience. I'll be back again and hope that I'll see you there!

Last night I had the opportunity to try out a new restaurant in Plano. Ephesus, located at 3645 Dallas Parkway, #555 (at the Tollway and Parker Road) offers authentic Turkish cuisine, wonderful service, a nice atmosphere and very reasonable prices.

I had never been to a Turkish restaurant before and the experience left me wanting more. The food is very tasty and flavorful. The menu items are similar to (but not identically flavored) items you might find at other Middle Eastern or Mediterranean restaurants, but the flavors here were unique and refreshing.

My friend and I started out with several appetizers. The Hummus, Tabouli and Ezme were all fresh and full of flavor. I had previously had Hummus and Tabouli, but the Ezme was a new experience for me. Ezme is described on the Ephesus menu as "Finely chopped tomatoes, onions, hot peppers, and walnuts mixed with olive oil and fragrant herbs". It has a pico de gallo type of consistency to it, but with a very unique and satisfying flavor. The appetizers were served with a small loaf of fresh bread and each ranged in price from $4.95 to $5.95.

For entrees, I tried the Iskender Kabob (the meat is similar to that used in making a Gyro... beef and lamb, nicely seasoned) and my friend had the Instanbul Salmon. Both were delicious, served in nice sized portions and both under $14.00.

Ephesus also offers its customers a full wine list including several Turkish wines. And don't forget to end your meal with one of their sweet Turkish desserts (I had the "Birds Nest, which is a Turkish dessert that is very similar to Baklava) along with a strong Turkish coffee.

It was a great dining experience and a very welcome change of pace from the usual routine of American Food and chain restaurants. These folks know hospitality and good food make for a winning combination.

I urge you to give Ephesus a try... it will not disappoint!

There is a mini-drama playing out here in North Texas. And before it's over it could get both ugly and costly for drivers.

One of the main thoroughfares in the Dallas area is Mockingbird Lane. Mockingbird Lane (which is named after the state bird of Texas, not after the street that Darrin and Samantha lived on in the TV show Bewitched) is an East-West surface road ranging from 2 to 6 lanes depending on the location.

According to news reports, more than 18,000 drivers a day use Mockingbird Lane to cut from East Dallas, through Highland Park to get out to the West side of Dallas. Well, now Highland Park officials have floated the idea of turning a portion of Mockingbird Lane (the part that runs through their jurisdiction) into a toll road... the first surface street toll road in America.

This issue is further complicated by a long standing rivalry between Dallas residents and Highland Park residents. The reaction of Dallasites has been to take it as a slap in the face that Highland Park wishes to keep them from transiting through their city, and one letter to the editor in the newspaper even suggested that Dallas make all roads exiting the Park Cities (which are surrounded all around by Dallas) into toll roads so that any residents wishing to leave the Park Cities would have to pay a toll.

All-in-all, I have to believe that there has to be a better way to handle this! With gas prices rising, hasn't driving become expensive enough? Can't we just all get along?

Editors note: Please see my comment (#3 below) for a very important correction!

On May 26 I posted The re-naming of Industrial Boulevard in Dallas. I wrote about the public poll/vote to rename Dallas' Industrial Boulevard as part of the Trinity River redevelopment project. The public opinion poll offered choices of 4 names that featured descriptive aspects of the redevelopment and 2 names in honor of famous Dallasites. Well, the question of the day around Dallas City Hall is "What if they threw an election and the people voted wrong?"

Over 20,000 votes were cast in the public poll which ran for a week. Of the votes cast, more than 52% voted to rename Industrial Blvd in honor of Cesar Chavez. The City Council seemed to think that certainly people would do the "right" thing and vote to re-name the road with a name that described the desired feel after the billion dollar Trinity River Corridor project. Surely the public would realize that naming it this way would facilitate marketing the project... right? Well, no. And now, to add insult to injury the Dallas City Council has postponed a vote so that a compromise can be reached to rename Industrial Boulevard as Riverfront Boulevard and rename another road in honor of Cesar Chavez. The Hispanic community is less than pleased with these developments and I can't say that I blame them. The poll was certainly not a formal or binding vote, but this well intended exercise (which obviously cost tax dollars to execute) has become unnecessarily divisive.

Maybe the City Council will learn that if they don't want to know the answer to the question, that in the future perhaps they shouldn't ask!

I'm a big believer in "The Ripple Effect" and I see it all around me.

In fact, my AR blog post was about the Ripple Effect of Foreclosure. Later, I wrote on the Ripple Effect of declining property tax appraisal growth. I have also written posts on the effects of light rail mass transit and Transit Oriented Developments (TOD's) in the Dallas area including Word-a-palooza - Part Deux: A TOD Update and Dallas and Garland - Those TODdling Towns! I see the growing popularity of TOD's as sort of a Ripple Effect of rising gas prices and the more general trend toward a more urban style of living.

In an article last week, the Dallas Morning News reported on how 2 more Dallas area suburbs, Carrollton and Farmer Branch are already preparing for 2010 when the DART Rail Green line extend to those cities.

And what do you think these cities are planning? TOD's! The City Manager for Farmers Branch was quoted in the article and commented on how until now they really did not have a downtown area and so the city lacked any urban living and shopping options. The opening of a Farmers Branch stop on DART's Green Line 2 years from now will bring that style of living and shopping to Farmers Branch for the first time. The city has specified a 20 acre area of developments for this purpose.

Carrollton will actually have 3 DART Rail stations and in the DMN article the city's manager of TOD's was quoted... the fact that a city position with that title exists should give us all a good idea how importantly TOD's factor into Carrollton's future plans.

Clearly the way that North Texas residents are responding to TOD's and mass transit are changing. And as gas prices continue to rise, the desire for many people to reduce their commutes, save gasoline (and money) and their willingness to use mass transit as a tool in those efforts will also continue to change.

Every article I have read indicates that this shift is not confined to the Dallas area. Are you seeing more of this type of real estate being developed in your part of the country? Let me know...