As you walk up the steps to the diner, there is a patio with red picnic tables where you can sit and enjoy your meal. As you enter the doors, a pinball machine greets you to your right, and the staff is busy placing orders and calling food numbers. It does not matter what time of day you visit, there always seems to be a crowd.

Easterbrook’s offers over 15 different varieties of hot dogs alone, including the Wonder Dog, the Belly Buster and for the vegetarians, there are veggie dogs too. Any topping you crave on your hot dog, you can get, and Easterbrook’s does not draw the line on anything. The diner caters to just about everyone. If you want chilli and onions on your hot dog, it can be done, or if you just want it plain, nobody will judge you. In 2007 alone, Easterbrook’s sold over 2,000 kilometres (that’s about 1,300 miles) of hot dogs.

To go along with the long list of hot dog varieties, Easterbrook’s has an impressive selection of ice cream flavours. Everything from the usual chocolate and vanilla, the list goes on and on, including orange sorbet, chocolate chip cookie dough, mint chocolate chip, cherry cheesecake, moose tracks, and my personal favourite, birthday cake.

Items on the menu are fairly priced, making family trips, and even a first date Easterbrook’s affordable, and fun. The moment you step foot in the door, you are instantly taken back in time. The small booths seat two very cosily, and there are business cards and people and couple’s names written on the walls. Hanging all over the diner are headshots of famous Canadian actors and other local celebrities who have dined at Easterbrook’s and left a little memento.

Easterbrook’s is a fixture in the community, and holds a special place in the heart of many. If anyone is ever in the area, drop by for lunch or dinner and stay for some dessert, because it is not every day that you can tell someone that you have eaten at a famous landmark whose roots are deeply planted within the community and surrounding area.

Knowing that barbecue is my forte, Daniel asked me to rank the best barbecue dinners in the Dallas / Fort Worth area. The weekend following Thanksgiving, you might be so turkeyed out that you're looking for something else. Look no further. I've got your top 5 BBQ list right here. So here they are, and feel free to add your agreements or disagreements in the comment box. We're starting at #5 and working our way to the top:

5. Shady Creek BBQ - This is more of an upscale (if that’s even possible), corporate place to eat. The restaurant's ambiance is nice. The BBQ sauce is ok. Major downfall is that the meat doesn’t have that smoked flavor that I like.  Their side dishes make up for what the meat lacks. Not the most affordable place, either. Plan to spend about $15 a person.

4. Cokers BBQ - This is a mom and pop BBQ joint located in South Arlington. Pretty good choices. The meat definitely has the smokey taste I like and they give you free beer! Charming place. Affordable.

3. Colters - This is probably the most consistent BBQ joint in town. You always know what you're going to get: the best smoked meat, great baked potatoes, affordable, fast service, and no waiters/waitresses.

2. Red Hot & Blue - Memphis style BBQ. The sauces make this place rock! You gotta try the hootchie cootchie (if your brave), the dry rub ribs, the ambiance, and the great sides like the hush puppies.

1. The Feed Store - The feed store is located in Southlake. Apparently, they started off selling feed and the owner made such good BBQ for his workers that he just started selling it. You'll still find the owner in the store, so stop and say hi. It definitely has the cozy at home feel. The BBQ is great, the sides are great, and its very affordable. Did I mention you get free ice cream with a small donation for a local charity? This joint is #1 in my book.

We've been hittin' the Baja pretty hard these days. I'd estimate four out of five lunches are spent at said oasis of burrito and nacho delight. That's twice in one post I've used "said" in an unusual way... hmmm.... how self-aware of me.

What is the point of this strange plug for TexMex food... hmm.... nothing. I just thought I'd point out the delectable wonders you Yanks in Boston, DC, and Falls Church are missing out on. Of course, after having said that, I double-checked the Baja Fresh website and guess what? That's right - Baja Fresh has locations in Falls Church, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Maryland... So feel free to stop in and order yourself a Chicken Baja Burrito or some awesome nachos and you can join in on the all-too-cool workday lunch via satellite.
Yeah.... that was random.... just wanted to point out to you folks way out yonder that I appreciate you visiting the site and let you know that it's always comforting to know you have visited. We wouldn't want to isolate the majority of the country, just because this is a Dallas blog, right?

(scratching my head)

I stayed up late to write this? By the way, stay tuned for a list of foods Heather craves during pregnancy... I'm pullin' for something bizarre so I can run up to the store late at night and join the gopher-husband club!

Oh, and if you're wondering whether or not I talked to him, the answer is no. I have too much respect for myself and for him to waste the time on a meaningless conversation. He's a good sports personality, but he doesn't need to be approached in public. I believe in giving celebrities their privacy. Somebody should.

As for the title of this post, I just wanted to see how many of you would click on a title about women... you are desperate people, I tell you!

As for my wife, I'm sorry if I made you freak for a second, there! You were the only babe I saw at Panera today besides Babe.

Then comes the obligatory husband complaint (he isn't the same since the accident, you know). He's thoughtless and rude when he plops down, changes the channel, and cranks up the volume while you answer the phone. How could he be so thoughtless?

Then there's the crowd of pretty people by the front door. Fashionable, in their late 20s or early 30s. I'm not sitting close enough to hear what they're saying. But all the men are riveted by the pretty girl's story. Go figure. She must be an orator.

Back to #1 and #2. Now we're discussing how men find their sense of identity in what they do more so than women. What's funny is how serious the discussion is. Like we're discussion top secret government information (which anyone could overhear).

I should be working. Darn. I really wanted to learn what makes men tick. I can hear the ticking sound echo through countless internal chambers, but I was hoping they would help me find the source.

"When the going gets tough, where do you go?" God, apparently. But their husbands apparently don't. Can't tell if they married non-believers or if they're just casual believers. It really is difficult to measure a man by his wife's running commentary.

More later, if it gets juicy.... or if I just get bored.