H3 Ranch - Fort Worth, TX

LYD Recommends: Come hungry, really hungry, because H3 will serve you Texas-sized portions from the Dinner Menu and even if you’re stuffed to the gills, just make sure there’s still room for dessert! Grab a steak knife and a Buffalo Butt Beer and you’ll be ready supper!

http://www.h3ranch.com/
105 E. Exchange St
Fort Worth, TX 76164
817-624-1246
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Forth Worth, Texas is known for all kinds of boot-scooting fun, but best known as a gateway to the Old West. If you truly fancy a trip back to learn the western heritage that Texas is known for the world over, then Ft. Worth is the place to go! And if Ft. Worth is “where the west begins” then the Hunter Brothers’ H3 Ranch is where westerners can corral for classic cowboy grub! H3 Ranch Steakhouse is centrally located in the historic district of Fort Worth and a stride away from the famous Ft. Worth Stockyards. H3 represents the cattle brand of the three Hunter brothers, Robert, William, and David, who traversed the Atlantic from Scotland across America to the Great Wide West to finally settle in Nebraska during the 1800s. The Brothers helped organize Texas’ first railway shipment of cattle to market and founded a livestock commission that experienced a great level of success. The descendants of the Hunter family established the H3 Ranch in Ft. Worth in 1998 and it has been going strong ever since!

Stockyards & Azalea Plantation Bed and Breakfast - Fort Worth, TX

LYD says grab your cowboy boots, round up your friends, and head down to Cowtown! Cowtown, better known as Fort Worth, became a bustling town as part of the old Chisholm Trail as the last stop for the cattle herders to get supplies at the outpost before heading up to the Red River. The town was established as a camp after the end of the Mexican-American War by Major Ripley A. Arnold and named it after the decorated Major General William Worth. The city attracted local ranchers and became a good market for housing, selling, and shipping livestock as a major player in the cattle market since 1866. Due to its flourishing cattle enterprising and construction of the Stockyard Train Station, Fort Worth later became known as the “Wall Street of the West.” Fort Worth continues to embrace its cattle history through their most visited tourist spot the Fort Worth Stockyards. The Stockyard is lined with steakhouses, bbq joints, saloons, rustic boutiques, parlors, and their most famous dance hall and honky honk Billy Bob’s. Full of history, great food, and it's also a great hangout for the family especially for the kiddies who want to experience the life of an old fashioned cowboy. Cowtown proudly highlights its calendar of rodeo shows, cattle pens, and petting zoos which are open seven days a week for hours of family fun! Make sure you grab a seat at the rodeo, seek your way through the Cattlepen Maze, or enjoy a nice train ride provided by the Stockyard Station, and Texas two-step your way to Fort Worth to enjoy a day in the life of a cowboy or cowgirl!

LYD Spotlight: White Rock Coffee

www.wrcoffee.com
4216 Abrams Road (at Mockingbird)
Dallas, Texas 75214
214-792-9767
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Take a breather from the hot summer with an icy drink or cozy up with a coffee this fall at White Rock Coffee! Find a favorite café, iced or hot tea drink, or smoothie for all seasons at White Rock Coffee, a Dallas homegrown brand that helps support the the community one cup o' joe at a time. LYD highlights this entrepreneurial establishment as the must-stop venue this month because White Rock is all about delivering top-quality fresh roasted coffee, being a neighborhood spot with a family atmosphere, and having tons of options! Almost all specialty drinks are licensed to be iced, blended, or hot and along with the other menu items such as snack options for a light lunch, a few kid-friendly drink choices, and several sweet treats for dessert, the possibilities are entirely endless! The fruit smoothies available will fill your sweet and fruit quotient for the day! If you need even more options, there is a menu available for those health conscience by choosing a preference of sugar-free, low-fat and non-fat milk, or even soy! And you can even splurge with some whipped cream because White Rock's is lighter than most at only 15 calories per serving!

Banana Leaf - Dallas, TX

LYD recommendations: Banana Leaf has lots to offer especially for those of you who are Thai enthusiasts. However, don’t be intimidated by the unknown if you’re unfamiliar with the cuisine because there are dishes for all tastes! LYD suggests trying something simple but incredibly flavorful like the Yellow Curry to test your taste buds to Thai cuisine. By allowing the customer to choose their spice level, Banana Leaf is accessible to anyone ready for a food adventure!

http://www.thaibananaleaf.com/
Suite 500 (Between Campbell & Frankford)
17370 Preston Rd, Dallas, TX 75252
972-713-0123
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If you want to know the taste of fiery and distinctively flavorful Thai food, check out Banana Leaf in North Dallas. It has even been honored with the title of the best Thai restaurant by the Dallas Observer 2 years in a row! The main cuisine of Thailand is notable for their hot as fire chili peppers and other aromatic ingredients which balance with the soft decadence of coconut milk, infused rices, sweet fruits, sour vinegars, and lightly salted pan-fried meats and fishes. It is not a coincidence that hot and tropical climates usually produce spicy foods since it is a digestive stimulant and and natural preservative in regions where the weather prohibits these things. Peppers also grow best in hot climates, so environments with warmer temperatures traditionally become epicenters for the spicy cultures that feature them.

Café San Miguel - Dallas, TX

LYD says: Embrace your Latin side and dine at Café San Miguel! You might not complete your search for the mystical chupacabra, but you can delight your senses with the ideal blend of sights, tastes, textures, and smells you want to find in a genuine and bona fide Mexican cantina. LYD highly recommends the chicken flautas! And if you want to venture out to a newly trendy side of Dallas night life there are several bars and pubs just a hop away!

http://www.pomerita.com/
1907 North Henderson Avenue
Dallas, TX 75206-7319
214-370-9815
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Tex-Mex restaurants run rampant throughout the Dallas-Ft. Worth Metroplex and if you’re anything like the members of LYD, then you feel lucky when you find a place that has left most of the Texas cheese-based dishes behind and gotten back to the authentic Mexican flavors. Café San Miguel in the Lower Greenville area of Dallas has skillfully gone to the roots of what Mexican tradition originally brought to Texas. From the Queso Fundido to the homemade nixtamel corn tortillas to the main entrees, Café San Miguel’s combination of tastes and textures highlights the fusion of the indigenous crops and Spanish imports that interior Mexican cuisine have adopted as their own. Grab your friends or loved ones and enjoy décor as colorful as a Mexican serape, accommodating wait staff, happy hour drink specials, and flavorful dishes that represent the nation’s diverse collection of spices and grains.