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

Dallas has never been known as a Deli town. Tex Mex? Yes. BBQ? Yes. But not Deli. Well perhaps the tide is shifting.

Last month Zinsky’s Delicatessen & Catering Co. opened at 6025 Royal Lane, in the Preston Royal Shopping Center at the Northeast corner of Preston Road and Royal Lane. Having grown up in New Jersey and Lived in New York City, my cravings caught up to me and yesterday I went and checked out the new deli in town.

Zinsky’s is the creation of Jim Baron and Mark Brezinski, both established and well respected restaurateurs. Jim has built the local chain of Blue Mesa restaurants and Mark, after a career with Brinker Restaurants now owns the Bengal Coast Restaurant in the Centrum at the corner of Cedar Springs and Wellborn. With a creative backing team as strong as this, there is a high level of expectations set.

Zinsky’s occupies a space formerly occupied by Jason’s Deli. The space has been beautifully remodeled. The décor is handsome, clean, contemporary and simple. And on top of an inviting atmosphere, one sniff when you walk in the door will tell you that good deli has arrived! The tip off should have been when I heard the Fiddler on the Roof music playing as I walked in!

I had my deli test usual… A corned beef sandwich on rye and potato salad. The food quality was very good… the Sandwich had a hearty serving of corned beef and the potato salad was creamy and tasty. I have to admit, I was a bit worried when my food came out. Being an old school New York Deli guy, I am used to that Deli experience… Loud delis, wait staff with attitudes and food that is all about the food, not really about the presentation. My lunch at Zinsky’s was Dallas-style deli. Clean and new restaurant, with friendly service and a sandwich that was almost too perfect looking to be good deli. The corned beef was uniform in nature, sliced a bit thicker than typical in a deli and each piece on the sandwich appeared uniform in nature. The potato salad looked painstakingly portioned in the ramekin and the pickles looked cut with precision. I was thinking, this precise yet somewhat untraditional presentation and appearance may also mean that the food would taste similarly untraditional. Fortunately, Dallas-style Deli tasted an awful lot like its New York counterpart!

For dessert I tried a few pieces of Zinsky’s rugelach (a traditional pastry) and it was outstanding! Literally, my favorite part of the meal (and I am not typically a “sweets” lover, so that is saying something).

The bottom line? Give Zinsky’s a try for yourself… with food and service this good, Dallas-style deli might just catch on! Let’s hope so, because it would be a shame to lose a good deli!

I was reading a post by Stewart Penn earlier today about Los Angeles's ranking in a recent Forbes.com article about America's Most Stressful Cities. Los Angeles ranked number 2 in this report, but what I am always interested to see is where my city, Dallas, ranks.

I was excited to see that regardless of how stressful my life may be, as business continues to pick up at a rapid pace, Dallas ranked number 36 (tied with Kansas City, Missouri). This is incredible! As Forbes points out in their report, Dallas is the fourth largest metropolitan statistical area in the country, and despite our size, we have a relatively low stress level as a city.

One of the factors mentioned is our "relatively low median home-price drop of 5%". What was not mentioned, but certainly has made life less stressful for many home buyers and sellers is how vibrant our local real estate market is. I have been saying for weeks that our market is as hot as the Texas summer sun... so with our relatively low drop in property values and low stress environment, could there be a better time to buy a new home in Dallas?

Start gathering your recyclables now... next Saturday, August 29 is the City of Dallas Sanitation Services Department's Super Recycling Summer Roundup!

The Roundup will take place from 10:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. and you can drop of the following items for recycling:

Televisions, Toys, Clothing, Used books, Scrap Metal, Paper, Plastics (#1-7, No Styrofoam), Tires, Glass, Electronic Items (Video Games, Cell Phones, Calculators, Computers, Printers), Furniture, Batteries (Automotive and Household), Appliances, Fluorescent and incandescent light bulbs, Building Materials (Doors, Electrical, Fans, Hardware, Light Fixtures, Lumber, Sheetrock, Gutters, Pipes (PVC, Metal and Copper), Sinkes, Tubs, Roofing Materials), Tools (Electric and Handheld)

This is a GREAT opportunity to dispose of these items safely and in a manner that will help the environment. The main items which may NOT be recycled at this event are household chemicals, paint, styrofoam or plastic film.

Your Super Recyclables may be dropped off at any of the following four locations:

Dallas International School, 6039 Churchill Way, Dallas 75230

Elliott's Hardware, 4901 Maple Avenue, Dallas 75235

Stonewall Jackson Elementary, 5828 Mockingbird Lane, Dallas 75206 (Shred Pod at this location)

Mountain View College, 4849 W. Illinois Avenue, Dallas 75211 (Shred Truck at this location)

As in past years, as children prepare to go back to school, the State of Texas will be offering consumers a Sales Tax “holiday”. This year the holiday weekend will take place on August 21, 22, and 23.

The sales tax exemption applies to most clothing and footwear items priced under $100, as well as backpacks used by students priced under $100. Luggage style back packs, computer cases or briefcases are not included on the tax exemption list.

New to the sales tax exemption list this year are many school supplies priced at less than $100 and for use by an elementary or secondary school student. This addition is the result of the Texas Legislature passing HB 1801. Be prepared, however, if you are purchasing supplies using a business account, a business credit card or a business membership at certain retailers, you will be asked to sign an exemption certificate stating that the supplies are for use by an elementary or secondary school student.

The Sales Tax Holiday Weekend is a great way to save money and stimulate our economy, and it’s also typically one of the busier retail weekends of the year outside of the December holiday shopping season.

Located on Turtle Creek Boulevard, just South of Lemmon Avenue, Dallas' Lee Park is celebrating its 100^th Anniversary this year.

Originally purchased by the city of Dallas in 1909 and named Oak Lawn Park, the name was changed to Robert E. Lee Park in 1936 when President Franklin Delano Roosevelt dedicated the statue of Robert E. Lee that sits on the corner of Turtle Creek Boulevard and Hall Street.

In 1939, the Works Progress Administration and the Dallas Parks and Recreation Department were responsible for the construction of Arlington Hall, the white building that sits in the park and today serves as a meeting facility and catering hall.

The Lee Park and Arlington Hall Conservancy was formed in 1995 and invested more than $2 Million in private funds and $500,000 in bond monies to renovate Arlington Hall. Today, the conservancy is spending over $200,000 annually on the park and its facilities. They have also raised more than $3 Million for several additional and upgrades to Lee Park including the Allie Beth and Pearce Allman Arbor Pavilion which was opened in 2007. The Pavilion was the first structure to be built in the park since Arlington Hall was built in 1939.

I live across the street from Lee Park and can actually see the statue of Robert E. Lee from my balcony. It's a wonderful park filled with fun events like Easter's outdoor concert by the Dallas Symphony and the park tree lighting events with outdoor movie and fireworks over Turtle Creek on the weekend after Thanksgiving. Even earlier this year, the Texas Department of Transportation made use of Lee Park's great lawn to promote the "Click It or Ticket" seat belt campaign.

Happy Birthday Lee Park! And thanks for continually making Dallas a nicer place to live!

Here are some photos of Lee Park that shot recently...

Arlington Hall:

The Garden and sculpture along Turtle Creek:

The Allie Beth and Pierce Allman Arbor Pavilion:

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