It’s probably a little premature to talk about March Madness but then again, as we all know, time flies and the madness will be here before we know it, plus it’s always a lot of fun when you get in on the madness before March, that way you know some stuff about the teams on your brackets. It’s even more fun when you can say you watched a team or two in person and that might be easier that you think.
Although Tyler won’t be represented in the big tournament, there’s a good chance East Texas will. Last year the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks not only made the tournament but earned a win in the Round of 64. The Lumberjacks, under the direction of then first year head coach, Brad Underwood, had the No. 12 seed against the Virginia Commonwealth University Rams, guided by head coach Shaka Smart, in what turned out to be a nail-biter of a game.
SFA isn’t just satisfied with having gone last year but the goal is to go back in 2015, a goal that’s quite attainable. The ‘Jacks are favored to win the Southland Conference which would guarantee them a spot and they’ve returned the majority of stars from a year ago.
Nacogodoches, the Oldest Town in Texas, and home to SFA is only about 90 minutes from Tyler and is definitely worth the drive to catch some hoops action before the madness begins.

It’s extremely hard to believe the NFL playoffs are already here. It seems just like yesterday that we were gearing up for the preseason and talking about the fact that even though it was just preseason, it was still football, and it was like an appetizer before the meal. Now that we’ve gotten our full meal, we’ll get to enjoy another course.
It’s even harder to believe that the Cowboys are in the playoffs. If you were to have suggested at the beginning of the year that the Cowboys would go 12-4 and win the NFC East, you would’ve been laughed at, at the very least. People would call you a homer and question assume you’re drinking the same cool aid as Jerry Jones.
There really wasn’t much reason to think the Cowboys would have the success that have. Last year was the worst year defensively in franchise history and one of the worst in league history. On top of that, the defense lost some key players like Demarcus Ware who bolted for Denver and Sean Lee who was sidelined the entire year due to injury.
As a Cowboys fan, I’m thrilled we were all wrong. Now I’m just hoping they can make a deep run but let’s take one game at a time. We’ve got the Lions this week.

On Jan 9, Selma, a movie portraying the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. will hit the big screen. It documents King’s campaign to create racial equality, voting rights and to help spread integrity on his famous march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama in 1965. The film attempts recreating President Lyndon B. Johnson signing the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

The film is directed by Ava DuVernay and stars David Oyelowo as King. Giovanna Ribisi plays the role of Lee C. White and Tim Roth plays the part of George Wallace. King’s wife, Coretta Scott King, is played by Carmen Ejogo.

The all-star cast doesn’t stop there. Martin Sheen plays the role of Frank Minis Johnson. Oprah Winfrey plays Annie Lee Cooper and Tom Wilkinson plays President Johnson.

It has been rated PG 13 for language and occasional strong language.

Ejogo has played the role of Coretta Scott King before. Her first time was in the HBO film “Boycott.” This movie is also the second one in which Oyelowo, Winfrey and Cuba Gooding, Jr. star together. They played together in, “The Butler,” another movie about the Civil Rights Movement.

It will surely be interesting to see how the general public reacts to the film as many people will likely disagree with how King is portrayed.

When I saw that Tyler is getting a ‘Five Guys Burgers and Fries” restaurant in the French Quarter, I was really excited. Not that Tyler needs any more restaurants but Five Guys this is one that I definitely approve of. I’ve lived in other towns that have it, and it’s good stuff. You can customize your burger absolutely any way you want. Want just one slice of bacon with BBQ sauce? If that’s what you want, you’ve got it. If you order fries with your meal, they put them in a cup in a bag stuffed with a ton of fries. At any rate, it’s great to see that Five Guys is coming to Tyler soon.

Also, much like Texas Roadhouse, you can enjoy peanuts and throw the school on the floor.

According to Five Guys’ website, “There are over 250,000 possible ways to order a burger at Five Guys.” They “use only fresh ground beef. There are no freezers in Five Guys locations, just coolers. Nothing is ever frozen” They also use only Peanut Oil.”

The chain originally started in Arlington, VA in 1986 and has been extremely popular in the Washing D.C. area ever since and in 2002, it expanded outside the D.C. Metroplex and is in 47 different states.

Many years ago now, when I was younger I taught at a startup school in St. Paul Minnesota. As a teacher working at a new private school I found my bank account was often depressingly low. Student’s families often helped take up the slack by having my brother (who was also a teacher), and me over for meals. One of those families was a blended family of American and East Indian origins. And thus my love of Indian cuisine began. A few years ago I wrote an article for this directory that was comprised of businesses I would like to see come to Tyler. One of the perspective businesses I most wanted was a good authentic Indian food restaurant. After a couple of unsuccessful attempts I think we finally have a keeper.

Tyler’s new Indian restaurant is a family owned establishment called Taj Mahal. Admittedly I’ve only visited once but I can promise it won’t be my only visit. The food was hot, delicious and authentic. The menu has good variety, but it’s not an overwhelming list of unknown items. The adventurous eater, unfamiliar with East Indian cuisine, will be intrigued but the timid won’t be scared off. And thankfully the place was busy, not uncomfortably so, but enough to suggest that the city will embrace it, which is my biggest concern. In a city where “Traditions” is held in high esteem, will those who opt for the familiar take a chance on a very different style of eatery?

I had a friend recently confess his interest in Taj Mahal but was concerned by his wife’s preference for more traditional fare. My response to him was this: take a chance! And then if you enjoy it, tell your friends. But our city will miss out on a new and great dining experience if everyone plays it safe.

For those who do intend to try it out, here are my recommendations: start out with the samosa aloo. If you like spicy food try the beef nihari, want something not quite so warm? Try the butter chicken. And when you’re asked if you want rice or naan, be sure and tell your server both. Taj Mahal Restaurant is located at 5221 South Broadway, just behind Times Square shopping center.