"40 Dogs (Like Romeo and Juliet)" has been a big hit for Austin-based fave Bob Schneider on the charts as of late, and now the upcoming video's sure to get just as much buzz. Big-time director Robert Rodriguez (Grindhouse, Sin City and From Dusk Till Dawn) is leading the vision on the vid, which stars actress Kat Dennings and features Austin hotspots such as Zilker Park, Auditorium Shores and Hotel Saint Cecilia, among others.


"I had Bob come over to visit Troublemaker Studios and found out he didn't have a video for '40 Dogs'," Rodriguez (pictured left with Schneider) said in a release. "I love the song, so I put together an idea and am very excited with how the video is turning out."


Watch for the video's release in the next few weeks, but more importantly, see Schneider live here in Dallas on Thursday. Doors at 7:30 p.m. Poor David's Pub, 1313 S. Lamar St. $20. 214-565-1295 or poordavidspub.com.

Here's a mini-roundup of cool/new/upcoming events:

Samar (above), the funky little Stephan Pyles restaurant that serves Middle Eastern and Mediterranean fare, has launched a new happy hour. On Monday through Saturday from 4 to 6 p.m. in the bar, guests can take $2 off all specialty cocktails and wines by the glass, and enjoy complimentary meze, a sort of Middle Eastern tapas platter. Stephan Pyles' eponymous restaurant across Ross Avenue also has a happy hour, which has been around a while: From Monday through Saturday from 5 to 7 p.m., the restaurant offers wines and champagne for $7, specialty cocktails for $8 and complimentary flatbreads to nosh on.

The two eateries are only steps away from each other -- may as well hop on over to Stephan Pyles' patio and bar when Samar's happy hour ends!

The State Fair of Texas' theme for this year is "Super Sized Fun," so named not only because of Big Tex (right), the gigantic Ferris wheel or the huge car show, but also as a tie-in to Super Bowl. The fair is working closely with the host committee on some kind of collaboration. Stay tuned. Meanwhile, other newbies include an 8,000-square-foot greenhouse that will serve as an educational facility during the fair, and a spotlight on the Music Hall's staging of the Broadway hit Shrek the Musical.

The four-day Denton music fest NX35 starts tomorrow, so I thought I'd take a moment (away from combing listings for that other fest coming up, yeesh) to direct you to our interview with Wayne Coyne of the Flaming Lips, who headline a big outdoor show on Saturday. You'll be interested to hear what he thinks about Midlake's new album.


To avoid shameless navel-gazing, I didn't include the first few seconds of my chat with Coyne in the piece. But, you know what? Screw it. What ol' Wayne said about my name just about made my day:


PR lady: Hunter, you are on the line with Wayne.


Coyne: That is a cool name; why are you called Hunter? Is it because of Hunter S. Thompson?


Q: I don't think my mom was into him. I think she just wanted me to have a name with all H's.


Coyne: Oh yeah? What's your full name?


Q: Hunter Handin Hauk.


Coyne: REALLY? Wow, that's even better than I was hoping for!


Read the rest here.

Cedar Springs culinary Dish this month rolled out lunch service this month, and I was invited to try it. Oddly, the first two courses served -- black mussels in a chorizo broth and proscuitto with fennel, oranges and parmigiano reggiano cheese -- are on the dinner menu, not the lunch menu. Who knows, maybe you can order some dinner specialties during the noon hour.

What is on the lunch menu is a grilled flatiron steak served with a generous pat of Times Ten Cellars cabernet butter and crisp fries (right), plus an assortment of salad, flatbreads and sandwiches. With the weather warming up a bit, we should soon enjoy the escapist thrills of dining out on Dish's patio. And staying out for lunch for longer than an hour ...

Gorillaz's third time is a charm, Up in the Air gets all up in your DVD player, and honestly, if you're up to your 13th installment, is it really a "final" fantasy? Here are your new releases for Tuesday, March 9.

MUSIC

Plastic Beach -- Gorillaz: Damon Albarn's "virtual band" releases their third studio album with a stellar lineup of guest performances from every corner of music's stratosphere; from Snoop Dogg, De La Soul, and Mos Def to Lou Reed, Gruff Rhys, and The Clash's Paul Simonon and Mick Jones.

The Brutalist Bricks -- Ted Leo and the Pharmacists: The flawless songsmith and unstoppable indie punk vegan finds a home at Matador Records and releases his best effort to date, which is sayin' a whole lotta somethin'.

Valleys of Neptune -- Jimi Hendrix: The first in a slew of releases set to drop this year in honor of the 40th anniversary of Hendrix's death, this collection of rarities is a must-own for die-hard fans, casual music listeners and people who have at least one functioning aural cavity.

Battle of the Sexes -- Ludacris: Each song features a different producer (The Neptunes, Swizz Beats, The Legendary Traxster, etc.) and guest MCs (Shawnna, Lil' Kim, Flo Rida, Ne-Yo, etc.) in what is sure to be a cohesive album with a singular vision that is not just two or three passable singles padded out with a bunch of filler. Or the complete opposite of what I just said.

DVD

Precious: Bring home the feelgood hit of the season!

The Boondock Saints II: You know what action movies need more of? Dudes wearing dusters jumping sideways in slow motion, double-fisting handguns and firing them in mid-air.

Capitalism: A Love Story: Michael Moore tells us a bunch of stuff we already know. Life sucks and is unfair, rich people control everything and us common folk are completely helpless, and Michael Moore loves the sound of his own fat voice.

Old Dogs: If only the sideways-jumping, duster-wearing, Boondock Saints dudes were pointing their double-fisted handguns at John Travolta, Robin Williams and Seth Green in this terrible, awful, laugh-free film, then, well, The Hurt Locker would've had some serious best picture competition.

Up in the Air: George Clooney is pretty. Also, brooding. And pretty.

GAMES

Final Fantasy XIII (PS3, Xbox 360): Destined to sell a million gazillion bobillion copies, the popular role playing game returns to break new ground, further distance die-hard gamers from their friends and loved ones for at least a few months, and rake in mountainous sales.

Assassin's Creed II (PC): The superior sequel released last year on PS3 and Xbox 360 finally comes to Windows gamers; a breed of gamer who makes your garden variety nerd look like a regular George Clooney, who is pretty even when he broods.

Yakuza 3 (PS3): Essentially Grand Theft Auto with more kicking. And what's not awesome about that? I'll tell you what: Nothing.

Calling (Wii): Who needs machine guns and missile launchers when you have flashlights and cell phones at your disposal. Japanese puzzling-solving, object-interacting, survival horror...uh, action?

Savor Dallas held the grandest affair of its wine-and-cuisine-centric weekend -- the International Grand Tasting. Although I felt like I needed to be rolled out on a wheelbarrow afterward from eating so much -- I definitely had to be designated-drivered home -- everything I tasted was In. Credible. Including delicious pulled pork on a sweet potato roll from Hattie's (below). But, ah, there was so much else to indulge in. Let's play the highlights reel:

Got to meet Five-Sixty chef Sara Johannes in person. Such a sweetie! And what was the fresh spring dish she was so coy about in my interview with her in last week's Quick? A succulent lamb chop, grilled to perfection. The surprise was worth the wait ...

Central 214 chef Blythe Beck greeted me with a big hug at her station, where she served beer-braised short ribs and -- wait for it, wait for it -- naughty cheesy grits. Easily one of my top five dishes of the night. The meat was fall-apart tender, and its savory gravy was a perfect match to the mound of grits underneath. Yurrmmmm ...

Another insanely tender hunk o'meat came from Kenny's Wood Fired Grill, which served up barbecue ribs that barely stayed on the bone. Between the tenderness and the spicy-sweet sauce, I was in 'cue heaven.

But my absolute favorite item was the shrimp ceviche nacho from Carolina's Mexican Cuisine & Taco Mundo. Marinated chunks of fresh shrimp sat atop black bean puree and brightly flavored guacamole spread on a tortilla chip. This was one serious bite of food, a statement which admittedly doesn't come close to describing how wonderful it was. I returned for seconds, it was that tasty.

I really enjoyed having the event on one floor -- in the downtown Sheraton's ginormous ballroom -- instead of spread out over two floors like last year. It certainly made getting around sweeter on the feet! And there were chairs and table spread out in the lobby area, where guests could take a load off for a few and listen to a band play standards.

The only downside to the event was that greeters ran out of wine glasses to hand out to guests. Eeek! A second wave of goblets arrived after not too long. Too, I missed those helpful little plate/wine glass-holder dealies they handed out last year. It made it so easy to nosh and hold your wine at the same time. Without it, trying to eat and drink at the same time proved a bit tricky. Bring those plates back next year, Savor Dallas!!

I attended Savor Dallas' kick-off event, the wine stroll, where vino-and-food stands were set up throughout Arts District locations. What an embarrassment of riches. Not only were guests surrounded by some of the most breathtaking architecture in town -- at the Meyerson, the Nasher, the Wyly (right) -- but the drinks and eats were incredible.

Highlights: Paul Pinnell served up a rich, hearty wild boar ragu over pasta from Dali Wine Bar that just exploded with flavor. Belvedere served up an intensely flavored macerated black raspberry vodka that had a serious tang. Mmmmm -- and their napkins (below) were cheeky, too. Salentein wines poured a malbec that was at once peppery and smooth. The weather, which was perfect for being outside and location-hopping.

My only gripe about the event was the lack of time. The wine stroll lasted from 5 to 7 p.m., which made it difficult to get to all five stops and have enough time to really, well, savor them. We were told at one venue that it had to be cleared at 7 to make way for a show at 8. Booo! I say that next year Savor Dallas should host the stroll in a ballroom at, say, the Convention Center. Less hitting the pavement with the heels you wore all day at work, AND you can easily take the DART to and from the event. Brills! Granted, you would miss out on the outdoor fun ... but, seriously, the stroll should have gone on at least till 9!! It was too much fabulousness to fit into such a short period. But fabulous, nonetheless.

Now I'm off to the International Grand Tasting. Wheeee!! Updates tomorrow ...

I learned right here at QuickDFW.com that Knox Street Pub has a crazy-good Wednesday happy hour -- $4 wells, $2 Miller drafts ... and $10 all-you-can-eat buffalo wings! The photo above shows the contents of the last basket I shared with a companion, when my mouth had finally cooled down and I remembered to take a snapshot. We tried, but only managed to down two servings. Ah, well.

Last night, after stops at Gloria's on Greenville for a couple Meltdown margaritas (topped with Grand Marnier, yum) and the Grapevine Bar for frozen Pom Poms and Everclear bellinis, I checked out Absinthe Lounge at the South Side on Lamar. Dark, chill, with a DJ spinning hypnotic dubstep, the bar is a cozy spot to hang out. I could see myself plopping onto a sofa and whiling away a couple hours. The bar actually serves real absinthe, which became legally available in the US in 2007. After my mishmash of cocktails, however, I couldn't stand the real thing and ordered the signature cocktail, the Good 'n' Plenty (right) with the wormwood-free Absente. Well, I thought it was wormwood-free. The liqueur's Web site states that it now contains a full measure of the stuff. Thank goodness I only had a sip of the cocktail -- I had no intention of encountering the Green Fairy! Anyway, read more about Absinthe Lounge in the March 11 issue of Quick.

Two pieces of yummy news for you. First, Pinkberry has added to their menu two new toppings that are slightly more sinful than the slew of fruits and granola the frozen yogurt chain now offers. Cinnamon streusel is one of them -- I bet it'd be incredible on top of the original-flavor yogurt. Even more decadent-sounding are the new cheesecake bites, which would be fantastic on a swirl of original, or better yet, chocolate. The cheesecake fits right into the Pinkberry family, by being low-fat -- bonus!

The second new tidbit comes from Dunkin Donuts -- starting Monday, and every Monday throughout March, the chain will offer customers a free medium iced or hot coffee. You know, to help you cope with your case of the Mondays. The deal is valid at all participating D-FW stores -- no purchase is necessary (woot!) and it's one cup per customer. If you need more than that to wake up, you may wanna aim for something chocolate-y in the doughnut case!

Nice performance of "Window Seat." Erykah also sat in throughout the show with her friends the Roots, who serve as the house band. After one intro, host Jimmy Fallon chatted with her informally from his desk, seeming giddy and complimenting her for being "so pretty." I think he's a fan. So is actress Regina King, who relished being treated to the Roots' and Badu's rendition of the 227 theme as she walked out for her interview.

» Continue reading: Watch this: Erykah Badu on 'Fallon' last night