out&about in september

09.11.10-09.28.10

Jewish Film Festival

$10-$15 The Jewish Community Center will host its 14th annual Jewish Film Festival this month at several theaters around Dallas. The showcase will feature movies that depict experiences of Jewish people all over the world. It opens with a comedy, “The Yankles”, premiering at the Studio Movie Grill at Royal and Central. The film follows an ex-major league baseball player who decides to coach a college baseball team and lead them to the championship. Don Most, that guy from “Happy Days”, co-stars. The lineup also includes award-winning dramas like “The Loners”, “Anita”, “Jaffa”, and “Seven Minutes in Heaven”. To view the full schedule and locations, visit jcc.org or call 214.239.7115.

09.05 LABOR DAY PICNIC FREE

Radio station WRR 101.1 FM hosts its annual Labor Day Picnic 5-11 p.m. in the CenterPark Garden at NorthPark Center, featuring performances by the Dallas Wind Symphony, the Rhythm and Blues Band from Booker T. Washington, 5 Second Rule and the Arts District Chorale. 8080 N. Central. 214.361.6345 or northparkcenter.com

09.18-09.19 FALL CELEBRATION

FREE Start enjoying the fall at North Haven Gardens during its garden education program and plant sale, starting at 11 a.m. Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday. Learn how to get the most out of the year’s best gardening season. 7700 Northaven. 214.363.5316 or nhg.com.

09.23 PLAZA STYLE $10-$15

The Plaza at Preston Center will host its third annual fashion show, 6:30-8:30 p.m., benefiting The Fashionistas, a nonprofit that supports fashion design students. The event will feature the hottest new trends (for people and dogs) from tenants at the shopping center, plus some giveaways. theplazaatprestoncenter.com

Game Time

Fro M ThE ro A d, T IME ouT TAvE rn looks like a tiny dive bar nestled among the upscale shops at Lovers and Inwood. But inside, you’ll find everyone from blue-collar workers to corporate executives. Co-owner Kevin McCormack calls it a “nice dive” with “normal people.” He and partner Al Merry bought the bar in the 1980s, pulled it out of debt, and opened it as Time Out Tavern in 1989, inspired by old-fashioned sports bars in Chicago. “It has to have some character,” McCormack says. “It has to have that neighborhood feel.” Countless pieces of sports memorabilia line the walls, including team flags, banners, newspaper clippings and photographs. Most of them came from garage sales or patron donations. Instead of a signature drink, the bar promotes the latest-and-greatest products such as Patron XO coffee-infused tequila and bubblegumflavored vodka. “Instead of having a signature drink, you might be better off experimenting and getting people to try new things,” McCormack says.

—Emily Toman

TIMEou T TAvE rn

Lov ErS & InW ood

214.956.9552

ToTd FW.C oM

Pictured: 911

Three more spots to watch the game

JErAMISBArAndGrILL.CoM

THE ASIAN MINT $$ODFBWB Our Highland Park location, The Mint, offers an array of Asian-fused cuisine, specializing in Bangkok style dishes. We feature farm fresh ingredients, beautifully presented, coupled with a chic atmosphere and friendly service. Happy Hour is 5pm-6:30pm Mon.-Fri. – all beers and house wines are $3; $2 off appetizers, soups & salads. 4246 Oak Lawn Ave. 214.219.6469. The Asian Mint, along with its fused and sushi menus, also offers one of the best dessert bars in Dallas. 11617 N. Central Expwy. 214.363.6655. www.themintdallas.com

CHUBBY’S $ When looking for a restaurant to have breakfast, lunch or dinner, we all want a place that serves up variety, hearty helpings and even bigger portions of friendliness. The Touris family has developed a recipe that delivers all of the above at a good price. With four locations in the Metroplex, Chubby’s Family Restaurant provides a rustic setting with down home cooking. Catering available. Locations: 11331 E. NW Hwy. 214-348-6065 and 7474 S. Cockrell Hill Rd. 972-298-1270.

EL TIZONCITO $ New location at Forest Lane, this Mexico City taqueria is a Dallas mustvisit. The décor offers a casual experience that corrects the misconception of an original Taqueria. The Tacos al Pastor shaved down from the vertical oven and the unique Tamarind Margarita are a must-try. “What a pleasant surprise.” George Bush. “Excellent service complements exceptional food.” Gary Fisher. “Best Tacos in Dallas.” Mico Rodriguez. Sun-Thurs 10am-11pm Fri-Sat 10am-1am. Catering available. 3318 Forest Lane Suite 100 Dallas TX 75234 972.247.8797

SPY VALLEY 2008 ($18) NEW ZEALAND>

Screwcaps aren’t a joke any more. Screwcaps and artificial corks accounted for one-quarter of the wine market in 2009 — compared to just 10 percent at the turn of the century. Meanwhile, the number of screwcaps increases by an estimated 500 million worldwide every year, and more and more expensive, high-quality wines are closed with screwcaps instead of traditional corks.

About the only area of wine where screwcaps haven’t made inroads is with the most expensive wines (and you can find $100 wines with screwcaps). Otherwise, they’re all over the place.

And why has this happened? Natural cork suffered through horrific quality-control problems in the past decade, when as many as 1 of 10 bottles of wine may have been spoiled by bad cork. (The technical term is TCA taint, a chemical process that makes the wine smell like a wet basement.) And though cork’s quality has improved over the past several years, screwcaps are here to stay. They may not take over the world as it was once thought they would, but they still offer quality, especially for wines that don’t have to age.

And they’re much easier to open. These screwcap wines offer a good overview of why the closure has become such a success. All of these are available at Central Market:

This California white is a blend of viognier and chenin blanc — fresh, crisp and fruity, which makes it an ideal screwcap wine. Chill it, twist it open, and enjoy it with grilled chicken with a minimum of fuss.

I’m not a big fan of Australian shiraz, which can be pretentious and difficult to drink — literally, thanks to too much fruit and too much alcohol. That’s not the case with the Jim Jim, which has plenty of shiraz character but without the phoniness.

New Zealand’s wines were among the first to adapt screwcaps, which suit the wines they make — bright and full of citrus and tropical fruits. Spy Valley may make the best sauvignon blanc in the world (and its riesling is even better).

JEFF SIEGEL’SWEEKLYWINE REVIEWS appear every Wednesday on the Advocate Back Talk blog, prestonhollow.advocatemag.com/blog.