Earlier this winter, my friend Chris and I decided to broaden our cultural horizons with a post-holiday trip to the Dallas Arts District. Our original plan was to visit the Nasher Sculpture Center, but the cold, drizzly weather didn’t really lend itself to walking outdoors, so our itinerary shifted to the Dallas Museum of Art.

I’m a fan of primitive and folk art, so I was happy to check out one of the traveling exhibits, African Masks: The Art of Disguise (until Feb. 13). It included lots of great sculptural costumes from around Africa. Then, knowing we couldn’t possibly see it all in a day, we attempted to choose which galleries to view. We ended up meandering through the second floor visiting modern design, early 20^th-century decorative arts, into Pacific Island art and past some wonderfully detailed Japanese sculptures. We even came upon a re-created villa—fully furnished with artwork on the walls.

I like the spacious, but warm, feel of the DMA building. It offers lots of opportunities to wander through different worlds of art, and—my favorite—to watch people interact with art. Not a bad place to spend a rainy day!

On a break, we took a walk around the vicinity and were pleasantly surprised at the proximity of the Nasher and the Crow Collection of Asian Art. I see another trip or two to this area in my future.

Side trip: Our excursion included a quick jaunt through downtown Waxahachie to check out the Ellis County Courthouse. I’ve always wanted to see this building in real life, particularly all those face sculptures on the outside. I’m not sure if these are likenesses of the legendary Mabel or not, but they sure are expressive! If you’re curious, read about the gargoyles on the Waxahachie courthouse.

Upon its debut in 1965 as host to an exhibition game between the Houston Astros and the New York Yankees, Houston’s Astrodome—lauded by fans as the “Eighth Wonder in the World”—nabbed a spot in the record books as the world’s first multi-purpose domed stadium (not to mention the birthplace of AstroTurf). Alas, the once-regal Dome now rests in the shadow of the much-larger Reliant Stadium at Reliant Park; the Astros left the Dome for Minute Maid Park more than a decade ago.

But city leaders are debating the Astrodome’s future, and the options are numerous: Demolish it and install a green-space plaza? Keep the shell and convert it to a multi-use venue, perhaps with an attached hotel? Create a mega-venue with a planetarium and an institute devoted to engineering and mathematics? What do you think should happen with the Astrodome? We’d love to hear your thoughts and memories. (You can see the current options being considered, complete with artists’ renditions of how redevelopment might look, at http://www.reliantpark.com/feedback.)

In the past few months, I’ve had the good fortune to dine at a handful of French-inspired brasseries and bistros in Houston, San Antonio, and Austin. And I just got wind of a new spot—Lüke, the first Texas restaurant by New Orleans chef John Besh—that is winning raves in San Antonio for such French favorites as mussels and seafood meunière, all rendered with a Louisiana twist. Then, as I wondered whether this new infusion of French cuisine is a trend or simply a coincidence, I learned of a new spot in Austin that focuses on French pastries and those jewel-like cookies known as macarons, which are giving cupcakes a run for their money nationwide as 2011’s hottest dessert treat.

La Pâtisserie, which occupies a small clapboard house on Austin’s Annie Street, not far from the shops, restaurants, and nightclubs of South Congress Avenue, offers a small but well-conceived menu of such classic French pastries as chocolate éclairs, almond brioche buns, croissants, lemon sable cookies, pear galettes, and delicately flavored madeleines. Owner and Cordon Bleu-educated baker Soraiya Nagree, whose love affair with France (and French pastry) was born on her first trip the country at age 10, plans to start serving lunch here soon.

And what about those macarons? I know it’s a cliché, but they’re almost too pretty to eat—think delicately colored buttons of meringue and almonds, flavored with hints of exotic ingredients like cardamom and rose. On a recent visit to La Patisserie, I sampled chocolate and raspberry versions and savored every crunchy-chewy nibble. The bakery case tempted me with gorgeously displayed pastries, so I took a few home to enjoy with coffee the next morning. Or at least that was the plan. The pear “morning bun”—a flaky, fruity, cinnamon-y pastry that reminded me of an elegant sweet roll—disappeared before midnight.

But the pain au chocolate–a beautiful pastry made with croissant dough encasing a whorl of dark chocolate—added a sophisticated touch to my breakfast the next morning. With that jaunty song “Les Champs-Elysees” by the late French-American pop star Joe Dassin as my soundtrack, I sipped a cup of stout coffee (avec lait!) and thought of my French teacher from high school, Dodie Cheek, who liked to tell her students how Parisians never felt guilty about eating desserts (or drinking wine at lunchtime, for that matter). Here’s to you, Mrs. Cheek. Visit La Pâtisserie at 602 West Annie; call 512/912-0033; www.lpaustin.com.

In an awards ceremony at Dallas’ gorgeous Winspear Opera House last Thursday, the Texas Cultural Trust—a nonprofit organization that raises private money to heighten arts awareness in Texas— announced its 2011 honorees for the 2011 Texas Medal of Arts Awards, which recognizes Texas talent in film, television, literature, journalism, music, theater, media, and the visual arts.

Since the awards began in 2001, 59 Texas luminaries have joined a cast of honorees that includes actor Tommy Lee Jones, playwright Horton Foote, author John Graves, sculptor Glenna Goodacre, singer Lyle Lovett, actress Phylicia Rashad, photographer and screenwriter Bill Wittliff, musician Ornette Coleman, journalist Walter Cronkite, artist Robert Rauschenberg, and a host of other individuals and groups with interests in the arts and entertainment industry.

This year’s honorees include mezzo-soprano and civil-rights icon Barbara Smith Conrad, author Robert M. Edsel; educator and author Tom Staley, director of the Harry Ransom Center in Austin; internationally acclaimed artist James Drake; the Alley Theatre in Houston; the grocer chain H-E-B; journalist Bob Schieffer; Oscar-winning actress Marcia Gay Harden; Golden Globe-nominee Bill Paxton; musicians ZZ Top and Ray Benson, and philanthropists Ernest and Sarah Butler.

Medals will be presented during an awards show, gala dinner, and after-party concert at the Long Center for the Performing Arts in Austin on March 1. For details about attending the event, see www.txulturaltrust.org.

Hockey isn’t normally on my radar, but I became a fan for an evening at a recent Texas Stars game at Cedar Park Center. The Stars went stick-to-stick with the Hamilton (Ontario) Bulldogs, but the experience went beyond the swift-paced, puck-whacking, Plexiglas-pounding action of the game. Booming music, the jumbotron’s frequent fan footage (showing lots of happy kids and the kiss-cam), a roving burger-shaped blimp dropping coupons, the Chuck-a-Puck competition, a T-shirt cannon—all further amped the excitement.

Find ticket prices and details on special deals at www.cedarparkcenter.com (remember, there’s also a parking fee). And go, Stars!