About Town: Highlights of 2011 in DFW

Dallas is all a buzz over bee! best enchilada ever (no caps needed) is the coolest little fast-casual resto that you'll want to visit whenever you are in the Oak Cliff area. It opened up in January 2011 and fab restauranteur Monica Greene gave us a new word in our vocab: enchiladeria.

Why it's so hot: The flavor comes from authentic spices and fresh foods used to prepare everything -- not the salt shaker. I hate foods that are too salty and flavorless. The prices are great. But the number one reason that this place rocks? You get to design the perfect enchilada yourself. You choose the type of tortilla, filling, toppings, etc. You can't lose! A full restaurant review is available here.

Snowmageddon 2011 hit the week before the big event. Is that just proof that Mother Nature doesn't like Jerry Jones? I'll let you be the judge.

One of the great events surrounding Super Bowl week is the Taste of the NFL. An amazing charity event spotlights chefs and players from the 32 NFL teams. Regional cuisine paired with wine, dancing and Martina McBride.

The NFL Experience was perfect for everyone from the biggest fan to someone with a limited knowledge of the sport. I got to meet some football greats. Yes, I now have a photo of me and Danny Amendola (the former Texas Tech star who now plays for the St. Louis Rams). I saw (and photographed) the holy grail -- the Vince Lombardi Trophy. It was amazing. I visited the NFL shop where you could buy licensed merchandise from each of the 32 NFL teams. I watched people put their hand in a mold to compare it to the size of Troy Aikman's hand. I watched kids and their parents create life-long memories. The weather wasn't perfect -- but the experiece certainly was. Follow the link for the entire NFL Experience.

I admit my M.O. was to obtain an invitation to every event surrounding XLV that I possibly could -- all in the name of "work." But the one event that I most enjoyed was the Pepsi/VH1 Fan Jam starring Kid Rock and Duran Duran with Jason DeRülo. Everyone knows I'm a huge lover of all types of music.

Once I made it through the ice from XLV Media Central in downtown Dallas to Verizon Theatre in Grand Prairie, I was backstage where I interviewed Duran Duran and Jason Derulo. I was sad to learn I woudln't be able to interview Kid Rock. His spokesperson came to tell the PR firm handling the event that he was "under the weather -- but it wouldn't affect his performance."

I'm guessing Kid Rock was suffering from a case of "the whiskey flu" because he was on stage wearing a hospital wrist band and he said what he needed was "some sunshine and advil." My guess was that he stopped by a local ER for an IV of fluids to rehydrate. Yes, the woes of rock stardom.

One of my spring rituals is to spend an afternoon at Dallas Blooms! taking the time to smell the roses. Ok, maybe it's just tulips and daffodils in full bloom -- not roses -- but I take photographs of the lovelies and pretend I'm in my own front yard. That's funny because I do not have a green thumb.

I encountered a massive Texas thunderstorm while cruising around the party grounds the day before the Jimmy Buffett concert. Who should rescue me but the famous Fin Men. A photo gallery is the only way to tell this story. To borrow some words from a famous small town newspaper, "A good time was had by all."

For me, one of the highlights of the Texas Rangers' incredible season was Game 2 of the ALCS. You know the game -- the one where Nelly Cruz ended the game with a walk-off grand slam home run in the bottom of the 11th inning. The Rangers lost Game 7 of the World Series against the St. Lois Cardinals, but it was an amazing season. We'll get 'em next year.

One of the highlights of the year is my annual trip to the State Fair. For the food, for the fun, but mostly for the smile on my daughter's face as she rides the carnival rides in the Midway.