Oh So Tasty: Cuellars' Fajita Ranch

photos c/o John Shipes Photography 

Disclaimer: Cuellars' Fajita Ranch is a client of my agency, Gangway Advertising - which is why I asked Cody to graze the menu on my behalf. I agree with him that the White Wings are ah-ma-zing! I hope you enjoy his review! XO. Cynthia Smoot


The First Family of Tex-Mex opens Cuellars' Fajita Ranch in Plano
by Cody Neathery

Richly embedded into the fabric of not only the city of Dallas, but the entire state of Texas, is a family who stands out as a true treasure that not only helped define, but helped sculpt the food genre we now celebrate as Tex-Mex. Since 1928, in the small town of Kaufman outside of Dallas, the Cuellar family has paved a way in society and laid the groundwork of our heritage by means of food. This became pivotal for the Hispanic culture by continuing an introduction and by celebrating a vibrant culture's culinary landscape with eventual expansion as a chain of restaurants we know as El Chico. Since then, their business blossomed across Texas and subsequently, the South and Southwest region as one of the earliest Tex-Mex chains. Continuing the success found over the decades, Gilbert Cuellar Jr. and family recently opened their newest concept, complete with sacred familiarities and new ideas in the suburbia of Plano.

5 Ways To Beat The Heat In Dallas

This morning, I met up with my friend, Paige McCoy Smith, to share 5 fun ways to beat the heat on WFAA's Good Morning Texas:

Ford Motor Company Focuses On Creating Eco-Friendly Vehicles

2016 Edge Sport | photo by Rob Beaird

Last night I attended a really interesting dinner hosted by Ford Motor Company at Mudhen Meat and Greens located at Dallas Farmers Market. The purpose of the evening was to educate local media to Ford's ongoing commitment to sustainability. I will admit that I accepted the invitation mainly because I hadn't been to Mudhen yet and wanted to experience their cuisine. I left the dinner being super impressed by what I learned. For example, did you know Ford vehicles are currently 95% recyclable? Ford has a long history of being eco-friendly going back to the early 1940s when Henry Ford experimented with making plastic parts for automobiles. According to the Henry Ford Museum, the "Soybean Car" was a plastic-bodied car unveiled by Henry Ford on August 13, 1941 at Dearborn Days, an annual community festival. The car weighed 2000 lbs. - 1000 lbs. lighter than a steel car. The exact ingredients of the plastic panels are unknown because no record of the formula exists today. One article claims that they were made from a chemical formula that, among many other ingredients, included soybeans, wheat, hemp, flax and ramie. World War II interrupted Ford's experimentation with this program, but it didn't dampen the Ford company's commitment to a more eco-friendly way of producing their vehicles. Today, Ford uses many sustainable materials.

Architectural Digest Names The Dallas Arboretum One of the "World's Most Breathtaking Gardens to Visit This Season"

File this one under "News Locals Already Knew But Outsiders Are Just Catching Onto". I want to give my friends at the Dallas Arboretum a slow clap for being recognized by Architectural Digest as one of the world's most Breathtaking Botanical Gardens To Visit This Season.  "Whether you're interested in seeing rare flowers, relaxing in a gorgeous green space, or finding ideas for your own summer garden, you'll find what you're looking for at these celebrated botanical gardens around the world," says the international architecture and design publication. It goes on to describe the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Gardens as a "66-acre haven for thriving ferns and azaleas... with one of the best views of the downtown skyline." The Arboretum sent me this news saying that they were gobsmacked to be "listed second in an elite group that includes Gardens of the Palace of Versailles, Versailles, France; Claude Monet Foundation, Giverny, France; Kirstenbosch National Botanic Garden, Cape Town, South Africa; Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Nong Nooch Tropical Garden, Chonburi Province, Thailand; Royal Botanic Gardens, London, England; and Singapore Botanic Garden, Singapore."

Invest Locally With NextSeed

Sponsored post:

NextSeed has helped small businesses like the ones pictured here. Yours could be next! 

There are loads of people with great ideas and limited capital. But our current banking system makes it next to impossible to get a small business loan. On the flip side, old-school education has taught us that Wall Street is the place to put your money, but investors today are on the hunt for new opportunities – investments where they can make an impact while also using their local knowledge to their advantage. NextSeed offers a solution that builds a bridge for both parties to meet! Readers of this blog know that I am all about supporting local businesses to help grow the local economy. What better way to do that than to invest in their success!? Texas recently approved new rules that allow any Texas resident to invest in local businesses through state-approved online platforms. NextSeed was the first of its kind and has facilitated over $1 million in financing over the past year. So, how does NextSeed work?

Cedar Grove Brings Class and Sass To The Dallas Dining Scene

Touch your mouse to the image below to scroll through a gallery of images:

photos c/o Kevin Marple and Cedar Grove


According to the press release I was sent, Cedar Grove was described to me as "an imaginative nature-inspired concept which has transformed the former DISH Cedar Springs space into a modern forest within the dining room and bar, featuring a farm-to-table menu developed by award-winning Executive Chef Taylor Kearney." If you aren't familiar with Kearny, he has been named one of Zagat’s “30 Under 30” and Culture Map Dallas’ “Rising Star Chefs for 2016” (so he come to the table with a bit of street cred). The exterior entrance to Cedar Grove is made from fresh cedar planks which encase the building and "begin to set the nature-themed design". The interior 6,000 square foot space offers seating for 212 guests,  and "is designed to bring 'the outdoors in,' featuring a grove of twenty-four modern, stylized trees standing over twelve feet tall among the dining tables and reflected in floor to ceiling mirrors. The whimsical ambience is further elevated by the refreshing scent from the cedar planks lining the walls and ceiling along the entryway and enclosed patio. The 360-degree bar, with seating for sixteen, is inlaid with green ceramic tiles to create a leaf pattern." I am OBSESSED with this tile. Be sure to flip through the slideshow to see a photo of it.

Bungalow 5 Opens New Dallas Showroom: Celebrates with Style Dallas $5000 Sweepstakes

Touch your mouse to the image below to scroll through a gallery of images:
photos c/o Bungalow 5


The Design District is one of Dallas' hottest neighborhoods. With its close proximity to Downtown, this once commercial district has been evolving over the past few years into one of the fastest growing areas for restaurants, retail and residential living. One of the neighborhoods newest offerings is Bungalow 5, a New York City-based furniture brand known for their luxurious finishes and global inspirations which opened its first direct-to-consumer retail location in the Dallas Design District earlier this month. The 7,000-square-foot showroom is located at located at 1201 Oak Lawn Ave, Suite 180 and shoppers will delight in browsing the brand's entire product line, which includes furnishings, lighting, and decorative accessories. To celebrate their arrival to Big D, Bungalow 5 is having a fun contest where one person will WIN a $5000 shopping spree at the store as part of the Style Dallas Sweepstakes. In addition to the ca$h, the grand prize also includes a champagne and hors d'oeurves reception and personalized shopping experience, to be shared with the winner and five friends. Whoo hoo! Par-tay! Those interested can enter by visiting the Bungalow 5 website, and inputting their name and email address. Submissions can also be entered via Bungalow 5's Facebook page. Entries will be accepted until July 29th, 2016.

Casting Call: Relationship Regrets

Have you ever been in an amazing, romantic relationship with someone you thought was “the one,” only to have it go horribly wrong or just fizzle out? Did he/she ghost? Did you/they cheat and now you regret the breakup? Do you have something important to tell him/her? Do you miss him/her? A HIGH-END CABLE NETWORK who likes to keep things "Real" (hint, hint) is looking for charismatic men and women of all types, all ethnicities, straight and gay who want a chance to spend up to 24 hours with their ex to ask hard questions, get honest answers, find closure, open a new chapter, show them how great you look!, ask or give forgiveness, see if there's still a spark... Whatever the reason, or however long you’ve been broken up, everyone has wanted that one last chance to set the record straight, to get closure, to apologize, to speak his/her mind, to maybe rekindle…and we want to give you that chance!

For more information, please email Cherish at cherish@damlegacyentertainment.com ASAP with:

• Name 
• Age 
• Location 
• Phone number and email 
• Occupation 
• Photos 
• A short paragraph about your relationship and what you hope to get out of this one-of-a-kind opportunity! 

 * Submissions must be received no later than Aug 1st. Once you submit, a casting producer may contact you with more information (network, casting process, etc.). If selected, there is compensation and a one-day shoot in Oct or Nov. in Los Angeles.

Dallas CASA’s Parade of Playhouses Heads to NorthPark Center

Dallas CASA’s Parade of Playhouses, which brings whimsical, custom children’s playhouses into NorthPark Center for display and to support abused children, runs July 15 to 31, 2016. The 15 playhouses are designed and constructed by local architects, builders and corporations who donate the playhouses to the event, which benefits the abused and neglected children Dallas CASA serves. Some of the unique playhouse themes for this event include an African adventure campsite, a mountain-shaped house with climbing walls on both the inside and outside and a house shaped liked a block of cheese. Other playhouses include a flexible accordion-shaped house, a spacecraft house called “Life on Mars” and a house with a working garage built for a child-sized car.

Dodge for a Cause Raises Funds for Vogel Alcove

Scroll through a gallery of images from this event below:
photos c/o Thomas Garza Photography


I recently attended the fourth annual “Dodge for a Cause” dodgeball tournament benefiting the Vogel Alcove, which provides free development services to homeless children in Dallas. The event featured several simultaneous games, all taking place on the floor of the American Airlines Center. To date, more than 30 teams representing some of the city’s most prominent companies have raised over $70,000 to sponsor and play in the round-robin tournament. I was part of the only all-girl team sponsored by Highland Capital Management and led by Carmen Surgent. We didn't win a game, but Team Hot Shots took home the award for Best Dressed for the second year in a row... and that is winning in our book! Gina Ginsburg, Brooke Branigan, Jane McGarry, Donna Richardson, Lindsay Lee McCain, and Claire Kinsey were just a few of my fellow Sporty Spice teammates.

Beer, Cycling And Stamped Stories Are On My Radar For The July/August 2016 Issue Of The Society Diaries

Among my many projects, I am a Contributor for The Society Diaries, a bi-monthly lifestyle publication that is distributed all across the great state of Texas. I mean, who else know more about what makes Dallas fabulous than me!? In every issue I get an entire page to spotlight the restaurants, fashion designers and retail stores that I think are worthy of a Texas-sized spotlight. In the new July/August 2016 issue I am shining a spotlight on Emmitt Smith's passion for cycling and the launch of the inaugural Emmitt Smith Gran Fondo happening in September; my amazing friend, Tori Gonzales, who spun her 15 minutes of reality TV fame into a fashion blog and a jewelry line with her sister called All The Wire, and Downtown's hippest new spot for a cold beer. Check out the article online at http://www.thesocietydiaries.com/best-in-show/.

5 Best Family-Friendly July 4th Events in DFW

I love the everything about Independence Day - the patriotic music, the fireworks and the food! Many in North Texas will seek out pools and lakes to cool off and celebrate but others will seek adventure and look to gather with others wanting to pay tribute to our Country. I visited the set FOX's Good Day to share just a few of my favorite picks with their viewers. To see a slew of other options across the Metroplex, hop over to Fox 4's website.