If you’ve always wanted to hobnob with famous and powerful people, but you can’t afford lunch at The Mansion on Turtle Creek three times a week, don’t despair. We at D pulled on our jeans and sweatshirts and tracked down some well-heeled Dallasites with more simple tastes.
Dallas fashion designer Victor Costa recently returned from New York City, where he had a tough time surviving without his favorite food. “I was up there for only four days before I had to get some Mexican food, which can be pretty hard to do in New York. But I managed to get my fix. I usually have to eat Mexican once every six or seven days. I really love El Fenix. I am watching my weight, so I try to eat flour instead of corn tortillas.”
Dallas architect David Bra-den is also a Mexican food addict. D spotted Braden lunching one afternoon at Taco Bueno. When questioned about it later, Braden confessed that he was collecting on a coupon he had received there the week before. “I bought a burrito, and they gave me a free taco coupon. So when y’all saw me, I was getting my free taco. I also got another burrito to go with it. I like any Mexican food place. I like J. Pepe Gonzalez, and I especially like Chanto’s at Lemmon and McKinney.”
Kim Dawson, president of the Kim Dawson Agency, says, “Once a month, when I’m out with my mother-in-law, we stop in at Keller’s Drive-in on Northwest Highway. We always have the same thing-a hamburger, french fries and a Coca-Cola.”
Channel 8 news anchorman Tracy Rowlett goes to a number of places with his kids. “We go to Grandy’s, McDonald’s or Kentucky Fried Chicken. I like to have my Chicken McNug-gets with hot mustard sauce.” Although Rowlett says he was once a fiend for milkshakes, calorie counting has reduced him to drinking Coca-Cola.
Lamar Muse, chairman and chief executive officer of Muse Air, also has his weaknesses. “If I want a hamburger, I’ll go to Whataburger or Wendy’s. But what I really like is Mexican food. I go for the lighter dishes like beef tacos. I eat at Raphael’s a lot because it’s just down the street from our office.”
