The Dallas Morning News reports that there’s a new tenant for the vacant Blockbuster storefront at the northwest corner of Preston and Royal – Spec’s Wine, Spirits & Finer Foods.

The liquor store has leased 9,918 square-foot space but will sell beer and wine only as well as some specialty foods. It’s scheduled to open this summer.

Last fall, a Spec’s opened its first Dallas store at Central and Walnut Hill in the former Toys R Us space.

A new pizza place Tomato Pie is coming to the northwest southwest corner of Preston and Forest in late March. I spoke with the manager John Hudnall who told me about the concept.

It’s St. Louis-style pizza, which is unheard-of around here. It’s characterized by a super thin crust and a special blend of cheeses. The meats and toppings are all fresh as opposed to chains that pile on frozen ingredients before popping the pizza into the oven.

“Instead of getting a taste of sausage here and there, it’s more like one flavor that has been cooked together,” Hudnall says.

This is the restaurant’s first location, and owner Ryan Noles plans to expand as soon as possible.

Hard beef taco and soft chicken taco at Taco Taco

The new taco joint Taco Taco opened back in August in the old Chicken Coop space at Preston and Royal. We haven’t heard much about it since, and I almost forgot it existed. So, I stopped in for lunch last week to give it a try. While it’s not the best taco you’ll ever eat, it’s a charming little establishment that deserves support from the neighborhood.

The space is small and kind of dive-y with an orange and white theme throughout. The service is outstanding. The people who run the place are kind and genuine. They even gave me another cup of salsa on the house.

The tacos are fairly cheap at just over $2 each. There are soft and hard shells with your choice of meat, burritos, taco salads and platters. I ordered one chicken and one beef taco. It tasted fresh and homemade (which we hear it is). I wish I had tried the fish taco, which is supposedly better.

Sure, there might be better taco places around the neighborhood, but Taco Taco is the perfect, no-frills spot for lunch. It’s quick, and it’s not too crowded or loud. This might sound weird, but it’s a great place to dine alone. There are a few tables for one that face the window, which is kind of nice. It beats eating at your desk or on the go in your car.

REUSE Jeans opened next to the Aveda Institute. The eco-friendly shop offers a line of 80-percent recycled denim for men and women.

Look around any corner in Preston Hollow, and you’ll find some type of burger joint. Mariel Street’s new Liberty Burger is something different.

A concert this Friday night at Uncle Calvin’s Coffeehouse will feature two popular artists and benefit The StewPot, which serves 1600 meals a day at The Bridge, Dallas’ homeless shelter downtown.

George Gagliardi, known by many as the piano player at the Pocket Sandwich Theatre popcorn-throwing melodramas, has written over 700 songs, several recorded by Cynthia Clawson. He’s been nominated for a Grammy and is a member of the Singapore Slingers and several jazz quartets.

Tom McDermott is a nationally touring professional storyteller, songwriter and virtuoso ukulele player who enjoys sharing songs, laughter and mayhem with kids and grownups alike. In addition to recording music, he has published books for adults and children.

Uncle Calvin’s is a family-friendly Friday night coffeehouse and listening room located within (and sponsored by) NorthPark Presbyterian Church, 9555 N. Central Expy at Walnut Hill Lane. Tickets are available via their website here, $15 for adults and $7.50 for youth (you’ll pay a little more at the door). Coffee, teas and desserts will be available from friendly staff, volunteers from the church and community. The show begins at 8pm.

This wine cost nine bucks. How do the Italians do it? Their economy is in shambles and the euro is killing the dollar. If this was French wine, it would cost $15 or $18. I’m not complaining, of course. I’m just continually and pleasantly surprised by the quality and value so many Italian wines offer.

The Farnese (purchased, available at Jimmy’s) was exactly what I was hoping for when I bought it. There is soft white fruit in the middle (an English critic described it as “gently fragrant,” which is why Engish wine writing is so much fun), low alcohol (12 percent), not a lot of acid, and a kind of stony finish. In this, it’s a wonderful antidote to all the mass-produced, turpentine-like pinot grigio that we’re told we’re supposed to like and that everyone seems to be making these days. Right, Drew B.?

Pair this not only with seafood, but spicy food. That’s what I did (chicken tamales with green sauce), and it worked wonderfully. And, for those of you keeping track of grape varieties, there is apparently a difference between the trebbiano grape and the grape that is called trebbiano in the Abruzzo region of Italy. The former is more or less ugni blanc, one of my old pals, while the latter is something called bombino bianco. Maybe I can get the Italian Wine Guy to explain the difference.

Wine drinkers are creatures of habit. We tend to drink the same wines and shop in the same places for those wines, which, frankly, doesn’t do much to expand our wine horizons.

Friend apple pie at Purple Cow (Photo by Molly Dickson)

Got dinner plans tomorrow? Starting at 4 p.m. on Thursday, Purple Cow at Preston and Royal will donate 15 percent of all its sales to the Dallas Derby Devils. It includes alcohol sales.

DDD is the original Dallas-Fort Worth roller derby league with a roster of more than 120 active skaters. In fact, it’s the largest flat track derby team in the south.

It’s hard not to respect these fierce females who compete in bouts for sell-out crowds and get pretty bruised up in the process. I remember interviewing Preston Hollow resident Meg Weathers with Assassination City Roller Derby for our March 2010 issue about hardcore athletes. She called her battle scars “badges of honor.”

The promotion is a good excuse to indulge in some of Purple Cow’s yummy burgers and milkshakes. The fried apple pie is heavenly.

The new Central Market at Preston and Royal is finally ready to open at 8 a.m. tomorrow morning. If you were passing through the neighborhood, you probably noticed the commotion this morning. A sneak preview featured free food, a tour of the grocery store, a festive clown and several neighborhood dignitaries, including Mayor Mike Rawlings and council members Ann Margolin and Linda Koop. The Hillcrest High School marching band performed on the balcony and inside the entryway.

This is one of Central Market’s smaller stores at 30,000 square feet. The produce section is piled high with nearly every type pf fruit and vegetable – there’s even a small section dedicated to exotic ones. Keep winding around and you’ll find the same variety of meats, cheeses, baked goods, fresh sandwiches as well as a sea of wines and beers to choose from.

At the preview, Central Market representatives announced they were giving $10,000 to the Preston Royal and Park Forest libraries, showing how “private enterprise can help with public needs,” Rawlings said.