Last night, the Texas Ballet Theater held their annual fundraiser gala at Chesapeake Plaza, also known as the world headquarters for Pier 1 Imports, in Fort Worth. This year’s theme was “Fire and Ice,” as evidenced by many attendees’ attire, which ranged in fire engine and lipstick reds to icicle and midnight blues. Some of the TBT dancers were also decked out in designs donated by local boutique StanleyKorshak, specifically Naeem Kahn gowns, which were also listed as some of the items to be sold at the live auction later in the evening (accompanied with four seats to their runway show this fall at NYC’s Fashion Week.)

If Mother’s Day was seriously a singular gift event, you wouldn’t be hyperventilating thinking about Sunday. Truth is, there are a lot of women in your life who you are important to you, and most of them are mothers. And you know if you don’t “surprise” them with a gift, you can pretty much kiss their home-cooked meals sayonara. To help give you some pointers, here are some haute gift ideas from local stores around Dallas for every one of the moms in your life.

As if we needed another reason to head over to Henderson Avenue’s bar and restaurant row. After Park opened up with its refined cocktails and kickass patio, I myself have braved the parking havoc on weekend nights to settle in for some good old fashioned relaxin’, maybe even stopping in to Barcadia for some ski ball. But now that J. Black’s Feel Good Lounge moved in, open to the public on Monday, I can only anticipate cab fares from here on out. Or perhaps helicopter.

There are many things we are thankful for in this city. Ample parking, HOV lanes, those vintage red cowboy boots you bought that match perfectly with everything in your summer wardrobe.

What we also do here in Dallas–I suppose all around Texas, actually— is Mexican food. Don’t count me among the cynics: I try queso, salsa and enchiladas in pretty much every city I visit, on this continent and others. Unfortunately, given our history and relationship with our neighbors, I would reckon Texas delivers about the best Mexican cuisine this side of the Rio Grande.

You’ve checked out for the day. You’re iPhone ‘s going straight to voicemail if the call is business related, and you are already dreaming of that martini they serve at Stephan Pyle’s that’s the size of your face. However, if that’s as far as you’ve thought out your weekend, here’s a couple tips onthe best bets in town. Cheers to that.

Call me Ishmael. It’s a line well remembered in the minds and hearts of literary types as the first sentence in Herman Melville’s classic novel Moby Dick, the age-old story of Ahab versus the great white whale. Now the tale spun mostly on the high seas premieres in Dallas tonight as the first ever operatic version to hit the stage. The Arts District’s beautiful Winspear Opera House will host the event, now through May 16th.

Economy shnomony. The grass is always greener, especially when you are perusing the real estate ads just to get a “glimpse of the market.” But when you see that oh-so perfect, 12,000 square-foot beauty with the salt water pool and solarium that’s currently running a fraction what you paid for that trendy tudor style condo FIVE years ago, your skin starts to itch, and you get that familiar feeling of missing out on the big one.

They say behind every great man is a great woman. While I am hardly one to disagree with that old adage, I would like to add one thing: a stylist. Yes, even the most powerful, put together men need help in the style department, in fact that’s probably why they always look so debonair in the first place. Sure, thank Sally for her years of love and support, but how about Sam and those perfectly lined trousers? You know you wouldn’t have gotten the promotion otherwise.

Tom Huckabee, a native of Fort Worth, has dipped his toes in many pools of film production in his career, from writing to directing, editing to producing. Leaving Texas at 19 to pursue his dreams in Hollywood, Huckabee’s most recognized film project was 2001’s Frailty, featuring Bill Paxton, another North Texas native wh0 he remains close friends with to this day.

That isn’t to say Huckabee hasn’t been busy in the last few years.