A few links

• A dozen new restaurants opening in Dallas - that has got to be a good sign for the local economy. 

• The Houston Chronicle explains why banks like Texas. 

"All along, we have believed this is a market to be in," said Manolo Sanchez, an executive of BBVA Compass, a Spanish banking giant that started acquiring banks in Texas in 2005 and now controls about 6 percent of the state's deposits. "We could have bought assets in other states. We chose this state. There are so many great things about Texas. It underscores what we've been saying all along: This is the right place to grow. ...

"We're pretty bullish on the state," Houston [Chase] region chairman Mike Ballases said. Stressing that a bank "can't outperform the economy it's in," Ballases said Texas benefits from a strongly pro-business political and economic environment, as well as increasing globalization. The latter, he said, helps places like the Port of Houston by boosting international trade. Demographics are another Texas strength. The latest census figures show the state grew 20.6 percent over the last decade, more than double the rate of the U.S. overall." (more here)

• Australian Qantas Airlines cutting flights to San Francisco and connecting Sydney to DFW instead, starting May 16, 2011. At 8578 this will be the longest Boeing 747 route in the world. Welcome, Qantas!