As I’ve said before, one of my favorite restaurants on the Near South Side is Chadra Mezza and Grill. The food is terrific, but it’s the wonderful people that keep me going back. Heck, my wife and I have even been known to pick up a bartending shift or two at the restaurant… we enjoy being there that much!

Nehme and Christina Elbitar recently added outdoor seating behind their Park Place eatery, so every Wednesday night they are inviting folks to bring their dogs to enjoy a night out on the patio. Dogs get a bowl of water and a treat, while their people can enjoy a full bar and selections from the Lebanese/Greek/Italian menu.

Chadra Mezza & Grill

Lebanese/Greek/Italian/817-924-2372/1622 Park Place Avenue/$$/Reservations advisable on Friday Night/11AM-3PM Mon and Tues; 11AM-10PM Wed-Sat
http://www.chadramezza.com/

Rumor has it that the Rahr & Sons Brewing folks will be hosting a pub crawl on the Near South Side this Friday night.

I’ve been told that they’ll be starting at Chadra Mezza and Grill at 5PM, so be sure you leave work early to get there in time.

Also, for those of you living on the South Side, Chris Cole has challenged you to either walk or ride your bike to Chadra and the on for the rest of the pub crawl. From Chadra I’m guessing they’ll probably go to Finn MacCool’s, then up to Magnolia for a few stops up there. That’s the typical route. Easy to do on a bike!

In the last few weeks Fort Worth has played host to Main Street Arts Fest, PrairieFest, Fred’s Fest, and Mayfest.

So, if you’ve had your fill of the -fests, you should try something different this weekend: The Fairmount Home Tour. (Of course, if you’re not tired of -fests, then you should make your way over to the Fairmount Home Fest instead. It’s way cooler.)

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At the sixteenth annual Congress of the New Urbanism, held in Austin last week, Fort Worth South, Inc. was up for the Driehaus Award for Form-Based Codes. The new Near Southside Development Standards and Guidelines were recently approved by the city, and guide development in that district into following high standards of true urban design. They’re very well done and very progressive; if you haven’t read over them, and you’re interested in this sort of thing, check them out (PDF link). They’ll give you an idea of how the Near Southside will develop from now on. Form-based codes address the relationship between building facades and the public realm, the form and mass of buildings in relation to one another, and the scale and types of streets and blocks. The regulations and standards in Form-based codes, presented in both diagrams and words, are keyed to a regulating plan that designates the appropriate form and scale (and therefore, character) of development rather than only distinctions in land-use types.

The Driehaus Award, sponsored by the Form-Based Codes Institute, is an award given to planners and such that create top-quality, innovative, and progress design guidelines and codes that represent the finest in proper urban development. It makes me very proud to announce that we won! That’s right - the Near Southside Development Standards and Guidelines have won the Driehaus Award!

This is a big honor for the city and Fort Worth South. For a city that is (very incorrectly) perceived by some as not being very progressive in this regard, this is a big step that will make a lot of people sit up and pay attention to our continued urban renaissance as it moves forward. A big congratulations to Mike Brennan, Fort Worth South’s project planner, and the rest of the FWSI staff for this great payoff to all their hard work.

This is just the latest in a series of great steps for the Near Southside. Mark my words - that area is really going to become something special and fantastic as it continues to infill and redevelop.

That’s funny, Bernie. I saw a completely different sign at the proposed Eighth Avenue drilling site. I’m glad that Chesapeake finally decided to come clean about the harm they are doing to the surrounding neighborhoods. The first step toward recovery is admitting you have a problem. Thanks for taking such a bold step! You know, together we can ALL win.