Dallas Y'all

Trip date: March 2023

I hadn't been to Dallas since the early aughts, and that was was for an overnight work trip when I use to pitch potential clients for a startup tech company I worked for. So when the bestie said she would be heading to East Texas to visit her family, and we realized Amtrak runs between Mineola (where her parents live) and Dallas, I suggested a quick weekend/meet up.

I had a direct SEA->DFW Alaska Air flight and got to check out the newly opened American Express Centurion Lounge in SeaTac. It is so spacious and lovely; you can read a good review here. You can see it if you look up when in the central terminal as they built a 2nd story and it is perched like a loft! Excellent addition to the local airport lounges!

Because of flight schedules I flew down a day early and spent my first night at the Hilton Arts Hotel. It's a beautiful hotel and even without getting an upgrade based on my Gold status, I had a huge and very pretty corner room.

I was feeling lazy and tired so I decided to have drinks and dinner in the hotel restaurant Ellie's. I can say the martinis and tacos were both great!

The next morning I checked into The Joule Hotel, where Forest and I also had a big beautiful corner room. Before she arrived I walked to the Sixth Floor Museum since she'd already been in the past. It was an easy walk since Dallas is flat as a pancake! 

The museum is located on the 6th floor of what was the Texas School Book Depository, the location from where Lee Harvey Oswald shot and killed President Kennedy from one of the windows. It does a great job of laying out the history of the Kennedy presidency, the political worries of the time, and of course how the tragic day of November 22, 1963 unfolded.

It was very odd to me to look out the same window, and down onto the road running through Dealey Plaza where Kennedy was killed. Thousands of people drive past the exact spot daily as it is a major thoroughfare in Dallas.  

I spent some time walking around the plaza afterwards, and to the JFK cenotaph which is just a few blocks away. Nearby is also the oldest remaining log cabin in this area, built in the 1840s by settlers to Dallas. 

I walked back to the Joule and met Forest at their casual restaurant, CBD. We had a great lunch here, so much so that we ate there twice in our 4 days! After lunch (the first time) one of the front desk people offered to take us across the street to see the sculpture Eye up close. The Joule owns the piece and it was fun to be given access to the grass right in front (closed to the public even though we saw folks squeeze through the fence).

During our stay we also visited the Dallas Museum of Art. They have some impressive collections from all over the world, especially Latin American, but I think my favorites were the Design and Decorative Art collections and the Postwar Art collections. 

But most of the time in Dallas was spent catching up with my friend over lots of food and drinks. Here's the report...

Drinking:

We read that the views of Dallas were great from the rooftop bar of Hide in Knox Park. Not only was there nothing to get excited about as far as the view goes, but my cocktail was so bad I actually couldn't drink it. We left and went next door to HG Sply Co and had some very good margaritas and delicious nachos. A much better rooftop and views of the Dallas skyline in the distance.

The best rooftop bar by far was Waterproof at the Statler Hotel. WOW! It is a stunning location, right in the middle of the city, with a cool Miami vibe. To be honest we just had a couple of margaritas served in plastic cups but I loved the surroundings here so much!

The French Room Bar at the Adolphus Hotel was a wonderful surprise. I just wanted to check out the hotel as it is quite historic and a real beauty! But then I saw the cocktail bar so we went in and had a couple. Gorgeous modern glassware, very interesting ingredients, fancy atmosphere... basically an A+ for me.

Casablanca is absolutely beautiful, but I thought the drinks were just ok. We didn't eat here but they have a full menu and the neighborhood of Bishop Arts seems very cute.

Midnight Rambler gets the most press of Dallas' cocktail bars, and as it is located in the Joule we had no problem finding it! Best to make reservations as it is very popular. When you check in you will be led downstairs where there are some good tunes and cocktails waiting. 

We were seated at the bar and had a great time with the bartender who walked us through the very fun menu of creative cocktails and also shared a lot of info about the different areas of Dallas and other places to check out. 

Las Almas Rotas was high on my list and did not disappoint. Except, be warned, it is a bit of a haul to get to. This self-described shrine to the spirits of Mexico carries smaller, lesser known agave spirits. We had a few cocktails, I had a wonderful flight, and we also had some tasty bites. Fantastic spot!!

I was also very excited to try out Neon Kitten for some Japanese inspired drinks and bites. This bar is in the Deep Ellum neighborhood which many people told us not to go to on account of being dangerous. It was busy with barhoppers and cruisers, but we didn't feel unsafe at all. Not sure if this area is just getting a bad rap or if it was warranted, YMMV.

We ordered some Japanese tater tots and fried chicken bites and paired them with some pretty good Japanese spirit forward cocktails. 

In the back of Neon Kitten is Blackbird Society, their Japanese inspired speakeasy. It's very tiny and very cute. You should definitely reserve if you want to check it out.

Eating: 

We had a fun and delicious brunch at Ellen's in Dallas' downtown. This is the place to go to for old school southern comfort food. Almost all the tables seat 8-10 as the spot attracts a lot of families. And it's busy but they turn the tables pretty quick; we waited on the patio with drinks until our table was ready. 

Our pimento cheese was excellent and I loved my chicken fried steak with sides!

As previously mentioned, we ate at CBD in the Joule twice! The first time I had a delicious fried chicken salad and the second time I really enjoyed their burger. Great spot even if you aren't staying at the hotel.

We also had tacos for lunch at Salsa Limon one afternoon. This is fast and cheap and delicious! It was pretty much all locals on their lunch break when we were there. Also my margarita was the size of my head. Good stuff!

James Beard nominated Restaurant Beatrice is a little piece of Louisiana over in the Bishops Arts area. It's small and super pretty with linen tablecloths and fleur-de-lys wallpaper. Everything on the menu sounded amazing, I wish we could have ordered more to try! But my duck confit with truffled potato cracklins and housemade Luxardo cherry gastric was fantastic. Highly recommend.

The Joule hosted us for dinner one evening at Sassetta, which is their modern Italian restaurant. We had lovely cocktails to start and salads that were probably better to share than take solo as they were huge! My main of lobster spaghetti with pistachio and herbs was very luxurious!

Before leaving Texas, I took Amtrak down to visit Forest's parents in Mineola. Amtrak seems to consider schedules optional down here, the train was quite late both going and returning to Dallas, so keep that in mind if you have other things planned. But it was relaxing and cheap and the station in Mineola has a super cute museum on the history of the railroad in Texas. 

*Although we were hosted by The Joule Hotel, all opinions are my own*

All photos of Dallas here.

Weekend in San Antonio

Trip date: May 2017

Driving south from Mineola and Tyler Texas, where we had BBQ earlier in the day, we arrived in Taylor Texas after about 3 ½ hours. Again, consulting the Texas Monthly Best BBQ articles I chose Louie Mueller’s for an early dinner. We ordered brisket and sides and were told they didn’t sell beer although we could BYOB. Forest went to the nearest convenience store for brews and I grabbed a table.

The brisket was fantastic, we loved the potato salad side, and they even gave us a little sample of their peach cobbler.  It was the perfect break in our drive; we had 3 more hours before hitting San Antonio.

Once in town, we checked into the Marriott Riverwalk where we had a nice view of the river and were able to drop off the rental car practically across the street. Our friend James had driven in from Austin to hang out with us for the weekend and we met him in our bar for a drink before heading out for the night.

We followed the Riverwalk to Downstairs at the Esquire Tavern. This cocktail lounge is so pretty and slightly posh, with a fantastic higher-end liquor selection and lovely drinks. Add to that our awesome bartender and we ended up making a night of it!

The next morning the three of us tried the city’s famous puffy tacos at The Blanco Cafe. I paired mine with a cheese enchilada. Perfect hangover food!

Forest and I then left to go tour The Alamo which was really fantastic! I loved going through the old buildings, learning about the original mission, and reading about the history of the site. The grounds were also super pretty!

We decided the heat called for margaritas and chose to sit on the terrace at Rio Rio overlooking the Riverwalk and the riverboats cruising around. The Riverwalk is one of the most touristy things ever but it’s still fun and we got some good people watching it over a few rounds.

That evening we met up with James and checked out happy hour at The Last Word. The bar was pretty good, a tad on the loud side, but had decent Old Fashions, great HH prices, and interesting framed prints of various writers on the walls.

We went by Uber to the Hotel Emma, home of the old Pearl Brewery and converted into an absolutely gorgeous boutique hotel. After wandering the lobby we made our way into Sternewirth for cocktails. The bar still has some of the old tanks inside, now they are cool booths, as well as some of the mechanics from the brewery.

Our drinks were all good and the menu was nicely creative. All in all a good stop and I would absolutely try to stay at the hotel if I were in town again!

We had dinner reservations just across the parking lot at Nao, the CIA's restaurant in the Pearl Brewery complex. When we were there they offered either a 3 or 4-course prix fixe for $36 or $44 respectively. It’s a great price and while the meal was good, there was nothing really stand-out-ish about any of it.

Nightcaps at the Esquire Tavern, this time upstairs. The bar here looks more divey with large wood booths and a dim casual atmosphere than downstairs. But they still take care with their cocktails and they claim to be the oldest bar on the Riverwalk and the longest wood bartop in Texas. It's certainly a fun spot!

I slept in a bit and met up with James and Forest the next morning at the kitschy Tex-Mex Mi Tierra Cafe. From the minute you walk in your eyes are bombarded with all matter of crazy shit hanging from the ceiling and decorating the walls. It’s like Christmas exploded and it’s pretty fun.

I ordered my now standard puffy taco and cheese enchilada which were fine. It’s not really about the food here, IMHO it’s all about the wacky ambiance.

San Antonio's Market Square is the largest Mexican market in the US and is about the size of 3-city blocks. We explored for a while, catching a folk dancing exhibit and browsing the crafty shops selling an assortment of stuff: day of the dead figurines, leather items, tourist t-shirts.

It was really hot so we decided to hit the air conditioning at the Esquire Tavern. We obviously really liked that place!

You can’t go to SA without taking a riverboat, well I couldn’t anyway, so we took one that does taxi stops along the river. We passed the touristy restaurants and bars that line the main part, sailed through the business district, went through a small lock a bit farther, and passed newer condo complexes as we neared the Pearl Brewery complex.

We had reservations at Cured which is in there also; it's building used to be the original brewery's administration building.

Our dinner here was great! Tasty drinks, delicious food, and a super cute environment. And lots of cured meats as the name implies. I’d go back here again for sure.

We left dinner and made it to the Main Plaza at the San Fernando Cathedral just in time for the Saga Light Show. The history of San Antonio is projected onto the building in a fantastic display of lights and music. This may have been my favorite thing that we did/saw! Very cool, do not miss IMHO.

And my favorite bar that we visited was Juniper Tar, just a short walk from the plaza. It's a beautiful space and has an extensive menu of original and classic drinks, as well as some of the most friendly bartenders in town. Absolutely recommended!

I'd never heard of ice houses before, but I read that in San Antonio these neighborhood gathering spots are still quite popular. Originating in the 1920's, they were not just a place to get ice but they also provided neighbors a central location to sit, have a beer, and catch up. Texans are quite sentimental about them so we started our Sunday with a few cold beers and some pub grub at The Friendly Spot in Southtown.

This was a fun little peek at the local side to San Antonio, especially welcome after a few days in the tourist area. And who doesn't like to hang out with friends drinking a few cold beers?

James drove us out to Mission San Jose after and we spent a bit of time wandering the grounds of this 250-year-old site. It’s very beautiful and interesting but it is a bit out of town so you kind of need a car for this (although maybe there are tours from the city?)

We killed the last bit of our time with a few day drinks at Paramour, a very hip rooftop bar. Uber-cool millennials, brightly colored chairs and couches, and funky art litter the space. It’s probably not my speed at night (the word pretentious and scene come to mind) but was fun and comfortable during the day.

James dropped us at the airport on his way back to Austin, and after checking in for our respective flights Forest and I found a place for dinner before saying goodbye.

Right before leaving a massive storm rolled in, delaying my flight and canceling hers! Everything’s bigger in Texas!

All San Antonio photos here.

Prior post from this trip: 48 Hours in East Texas

48 Hours in East Texas

Trip date: May 2017

Small town Texas wouldn't generally be high on my list of places to visit but honestly, I love to explore and will go just about anywhere. So when my BFF suggested I meet her at her parent's in Mineloa for a couple days and then do a road trip to San Antonio all I needed to do was find it on a map!

I flew into Dallas Fort Worth airport, a direct flight from Seattle on Alaska Air, and was upgraded to Premium which provided me with free drinks. So far, so good!

Once I had my rental car procured it was a 1 1/2 hour drive east from Dallas to Mineloa, population under 5,000. The drive was mostly flat and uninteresting except for the amazing sunset. WOW!

My drive took me through even smaller towns, many with boarded up main drags, like Grand Saline with just over 3,000 and Fruitvale with barely 400 occupants. When I got to Forest's parent's house it was after 9pm and we had just one dinner option still open, the Jalapeno Tree. Not the best Mexican food but beggars can't be choosers and they served us two rounds of margaritas even though that meant staying past their 10pm closing time.

I was sleeping in the comfy RV parked next to the house so we had a nightcap and caught up without worrying about waking up her parents. The next morning Forest took me to the Mineola Nature Preserve to do a little exploring.

What a fantastic area! We brought her dad's archery gear and used their targets for some fun with bows and arrows (not the first time Forest and I have played Robinhood!) We also did some easy hiking and were rewarded with sights of wildflowers, ponds, buffalo, cranes, an alligator, and a turtle (which just so happened to be taking a nap very near the alligators' open jaws!).

If you happen to be in Mineola I highly recommend checking out the preserve, it is gorgeous!

Lunch was with her parents at the funny little La Waffalata on Main Street. Mineola's Main Street is pretty much all antique shops so we did some shopping after and I ended up with some great vintage cocktail glasses.

The town was so quiet! No place really to sit and grab a glass of wine in the middle of day until we stumbled upon the brand new SonnyMan's. Although they are a hot dog and beer place, they had a couple of wines by the glass. And the owner couldn't have been nicer, chatting with us, curious as to  why we were in town.

That night after grilled burgers at home, Forest and I drove to Lake Holbrook with a bottle of wine and a wine trivia game. Both the evening and the lake surroundings were beautiful!

We had forgotten a wine opener so in true classy Texas style we used a rock and a stick to force the cork down. Between this move and the archery, I think I have safely secured some kick-ass MacGyver points.

The next morning we said goodbye to Forest's parents as we were heading to San Antonio for the weekend. But before we left Mineola we stopped at Grand Oaks Winery for a tasting. In East Texas. That is probably the last place I expected to find a winery.

I was suspect but they had a few pretty good wines (most of the grapes are grown in Oregon which was interesting) and the grounds are really nice. We ended up enjoying a glass outside on their terrace and enjoying the lovely weather.

It was a short drive from here to the town of Tyler where we were having lunch. I had consulted the Texas Monthly's Top 50 BBQ joints about BBQ in the towns we would be passing through and Stanley's BBQ Pit made the cut.

There was a line when we arrived but it moved pretty fast. Ribs for me, sides of potato salad and coleslaw were shared, and Forest had one of their sandwiches. Not only were the ribs delicious but the space was very fun. Now, this is what I was expecting from small-town Texas!

We made a quick stop to add Forest as a driver on the rental car and then we headed south for a 6 1/2 hour drive, assisted by podcasts and an audiobook.

Next stop San Antonio!

All East Texas photos here.

Don't Mess with... Austin

Right before the holidays, Forest was in Texas visiting her parents, so I suggested a short meet-up to do a little eating and drinking. As we do. We chose Austin as neither of us had been before. As a bonus, my friend Margaret had moved there about 3 years ago and it had been way too long since I had seen her.

Forest picked me up from the airport and it was a quick 15 minute drive to our home for the next two nights, The Driskell Hotel. The elegant hotel has a 100+ year history and is the subject of many stories of political balls, Presidential sleep overs and even a haunting or two.

We had a beautiful room with crazy high ceilings and super comfortable beds. The location ended up being so perfect that after we dropped the car off with the valet we didn't need it again until we left town. I will say that we found the cabs in Austin to be possibly the least reliable and hardest to find than most any other city. And we had a few particularly sketchy drivers on top of that!

That night, Margaret met us at the hotel and the three of us were off to our first cocktail stop on our whirlwind tour of Austin. Peché had been recommended to me by more than a few people and it was obvious why. The space is large and just about half of it is taken up by a gorgeous, long, dark wood bar. The bartenders were very friendly and the drinks, like my fig Manhattan, were delicious. And they have this totally cool ginormous absinthe fountain!

Dinner that night was at the very delicious La Condesa. High-end Tex Mex was exactly what we were looking forward to for our first Austin dinner and this did not disappoint! I only wish we had been able to eat our way through more of the menu. Next time!

Forest and I finished up with a nightcap at the hotel bar. Well, we did after we basically had to beg the bartender to make us some martinis. Last call was surprisingly early every night we were in town.

The next day we explored 6th Street before walking over to the state capitol for a free guided tour. This was a really fun and informative experience. Our guide was a college student and had lots of stories about the history of Texas, the six countries who have ruled it, battles and the way the state is run now. The building and the grounds are really pretty and as with everything else in Austin, it was just a short walk from the center area of 6th and Congress.

After all that history, it was time to start checking out the local cocktails again. While waiting for the newest speakeasy in town to open up, we grabbed a quick cocktail next door at Parkside. I would really like to try to eat here next time I'm in town as it smelled heavenly! And a nice gentleman at the bar picked up the tab which made it even better :)

We finished up and headed over to Midnight Cowboy, found the appropriate buzzer, and were let in through a cruddy looking metal door into a very dim and pretty cocktail parlour.

It just so happened that the drinks we chose were done table side, a great way to get that "sitting at the bar" feel when in fact you are lounging in a booth. The drinks here were really good, the vibe very dark and hushed, and the staff was super nice in answering our questions.

We were starving now and it was time to meet Margaret at Barley Swine. It is very popular (for good reason) and they don't take reservations. Faced with an hour+ wait we decided to check out the (very few) neighboring bars. First up was Henri's Cheese & Wine were we had a really delicious charcuterie platter to stave off our hunger. Next we sauntered over to the Horseshoe Lounge in search of a margarita but found only very cheap beer on tap paired with fluorescent lighting. Not to be deterred we walked over to La Feria for slushy regrets. Luckily the restaurant buzzed and out table was ready.

We basically ordered the entire menu to share, which is absolutely the right thing to do. This is "tweezer food" but using southern ingredients like okra, pigs trotters, head cheese, etc. Absolutely delicious!

With such a short amount of time in town we forged on for a nightcap at Bar Congress. This swanky bar is actually part of the trifecta of Congress restaurant and Second Bar & Kitchen, all housed in the same multi-use building.

On our last morning we walked all the way over to the famed Franklin BBQ for a little brisket and ribs brunch. Everyone says this is the best brisket ever. Everyone says you have to go early because they sell out every day. Everyone says you have to wait in line forever. Everyone is right. We didn't get there until almost noon and we waited in line for an hour. And then the sold out sign got slapped on the door.

But not before we got this plate of amazing brisket! Ribs were gone but we had more brisket then we knew what to do with. We were also the last people to leave. The owner was super friendly, coming by all the tables to chat and apologize for not having everything we wanted. This is a must stop but maybe go a bit earlier ;)

We had just a short amount of time to kill before Forest dropped me at the airport so we grabbed a cab and headed to check out the SoCo (South Congress) neighborhood. It's filled with funky shops, patio cafes, corner lots of food trucks, boutiques and bars. We could have spent more time perusing, but it was still a good look at the quirkiness that is Austin. There's a reason the city's tagline is "Keep Austin Weird".

 

All Austin photos are here!