Fall Drinks with SusieDrinksDallas
Thanks again to Roni for having me do the segment!
Pumpkin Spice Martini
- 2 parts vanilla vodka
- 2 parts Bailey’s
- 1 part Pumpkin Smash (or other pumpkin liqueur)
- Splash of milk (if desired)
- Cinnamon/Nutmeg
- Pumpkin Pie Whipped Lightning
Honey Gin Cocktail
- 1 splash of honey syrup (1 part honey to 1 part water - boil water and dissolve honey)
- Fresh lemon juice
- 1 jigger of gin
- Top with champagne
Cool Weather Punch
- 1 part rum
- 1 part ginger ale
- 1 part apple cider (non-alcoholic)
- Dash of cinnamon
Again, I traveled outside of my bubble. And again, I was glad I did. I’m sure you’ve heard the buzz about Goodfriend, the new beer and burger house over on Peavy and Garland Road one of the Vickery Park owners and a former Vick bartender, Matt and Josh, respectively. I’ll start by saying this, don’t wait to go until after reading this — get off your ass and go NOW.
My boyfriend and I prepared for our adventure with a full tank of gas, water bottles, and granola bars stocked … you know, just in case. The drive there wasn’t bad at all. Take Mockingbird east and just keep onnnnnnnnn going until you see white lights strung across a huge patio on your left that will beam you in. Parking was an issue, but I found a spot that my car hardly fit in, but fit nonetheless. (I didn’t take the time to figure out where alternate parking was - sorry).
Give yourself plenty of time for this dinner because you’re probably going to wait. So many make the trip for the delicious food and drink at Goodfriend that we were told that there was an hour wait. We ordered a drink and found a seat without a grumble because the place smelled so good that we didn’t want to risk being kicked out for being bratty patrons. The staff was so friendly that that probably wouldn’t be an issue even if we were rude.
Time to set the scene: a giant horseshoe-shaped bar is the center of the restaurant with bar seating on the left and restaurant seating on the right and stained glass above the bar. The decor is a hodge-podge of rustic engineering-type paraphernalia with an industrial touch including a giant table with a HUUUUGE fan inside. Sports fans: there are big TVs in the bar seating area and behind the bar and for commercials breaks you can enjoy the two dart boards in the corner.
The drinks were delicious. The cocktail menu is whiskey heavy with their list of whiskey cocktails dubbed the Magnificent Seven — and they are (magnificent, that is). I started with a Manhattan, the likes of which would have given my Manhattan-loving uncle a run for his money. After drinking the Manhattan, I felt like I could box a kangaroo - true story. The drinks were strong and I look forward to making a second trip to try some of the other M7s like John the Baptist, Bobby Burns, and the Goodfriend itself.
The offerings at GF include an American craft beer menu which will feature standard craft beers, seasonal beers, and special release brews. Get bored with beers easily? They post their “rotator” beers on a huge piece of paper inside the bar (and on Facebook) that are switched out quite often. In addition to their beers they have a fully (and I mean FULLY) stocked bar.
The food was ah-mazing. We made our way to our hard-earned table and when Matt handed us our menus, deciding which burger to order was one of the more difficult decisions I’ve faced in a month (I live a charmed life). They offer grass fed burgers and some more exotic options as well as a veggie burger (if you must). I landed on the Lolita lamb burger, the Boy had a turkey burger, and of course we got cheese fries to share. The burgers were delectable and I finished every bite of mine along with a good portion of the cheese fries (the ranch is mind blowing). The stomach ache was well worth it!
Goodfriend Beer Garden and Burger House
facebook | @goodfriendbgbh
1154 Peavy Rd., Dallas, TX 75218 | (214) 324-3335
“I spent a lot of my money on booze, birds, and fast cars. The rest I just squandered.” — George Best
Happy giving … and hopefully receiving!
[video]
“Brewers enjoy working to make beer as much as drinking beer instead of working.” — Harold Rudolph
As some of my more loyal readers know, I have a certain radius that I remain inside. However, my friend Liz (some of you may know her as @ohheydallas) requested my company out to PLANO, yes, Plano, to try out Whiskey Cake. Bribed with a chauffeur and a $50 gift card, I obliged.
When we walked into the large, rustic building, the hostess semi-greeted us and took a phone number at which to text us from her iPad when our table was ready (how sci-fi) … which was meant to be a mere 45 minutes later (ON A WEDNESDAY, YOU MUST BE KIDDING!?). We pushed our way through the middle-aged Plano-ites and families and found a spot at the crowded bar beside a guy who was very obviously there to find date.
The bartender handed us a comically large menuand we perused the alcoholic concoctions available to us. Their choices are all very clever, some are classic cocktails and they also have a few newbies. My first drink was a Texas Bluebonnet - a delightful mix of açaí blueberry vodka, prosecco, and egg white. It danced on my tongue and made me wonder why I don’t eat blueberries more often, but it wasn’t very strong. Liz got the French 75 which was quite good, but it’s tough to mess up a French 75.
What seemed like less than 30 minutes later, we got our text message and made our way to the hostess box (yes, box), were seated, and greeted by a bubbly young lady. She was one of the best waitresses I can ever remember having - friendly, quick, and very amenable to any request.
Dinner begged another round of drinks and I had the Guava Gimlet and Liz partook in the basil version. Both were good, very refreshing, but seemed out of place with the cooler weather. Perhaps they should move to a fall menu? Overall, I think the drinks are well made, but nothing groundbreaking … and the only have three kinds of ice (totally sarcastic - I love a good variety of ice) … I ordered a scotch to go with the Whiskey Cake just so our waitress would make an ice ball at our table.
The food was delicious. The only thing I could have hoped for in the food department was that my stomach was larger so that I could have eaten more. To get the full run-down of our experience, check out OhHeyDallas’s review of the food we ate here: Whiskey Cake - OhHeyDallas.com.
That’s all. I will definitely go back, but I’ll try to go back only if a $50 gift card is involved.
The Whiskey Cake
www.whiskey-cake.com | @thewhiskeycake
3601 Dallas Parkway, Plano, TX | (972)993-CAKE
Join Sigel’s to taste some (60+) unique holiday liqueurs at their Holiday LiqueurFest … (the name is seriously way too much). It’s a free event and they’ll let you sample the liqueurs that being that special something to a holiday cocktail. You also have a chance to win prizes if you drink enough … no, really.
I’ll see you there!
Wednesday, November 16 | 5-8 p.m.
Sigel’s Elite (5757 Greenville Ave.)
From Sigel’s: Join us… for a rare opportunity to taste through an extensive selection of delicious Liqueurs and Cordials from around the world. As we head into the holidays, this is the perfect time to explore this exciting world of spirited flavors - whether for gift giving or adding to seasonal menus.
Enjoy special sale prices on over 60 Liqueurs.Come learn everything you wanted to know about the different liqueurs you’ve been enjoying and ones you didn’t even know you wanted. This great event should not be missed!
After a couple meals at 2nd Floor sans drinks, I was happy to finally get over to 2FB for an alcoholic libation. My coworkers and I decided to take a quick break and grab a drink last night while waiting for Fashion’s Night Out festivities to commence at the Galleria, and we we had a nice assortment of drinks. There were glasses of wine, straight-up Jack, martinis, mojitos, and Moscow Miles, OH MY!
I always ask my waiter for his/her suggestion and this time, it worked. I was told to get the ginger gimlet with vodka … and it turns out, it was a Moscow Mule. That girl knows what she’s doing. I could tell that they didn’t use Rose’s lime juice and the ginger beer was just bitter enough to keep me from downing the entire glass in one gulp.
The coworkers in my immediate vicinity had:
- 2 mojitos: not too sweet and incredibly refreshing, mint leaves large enough not to be sucked into the straw
- Jack OTR: 3-1/2 fingers, a generous helping
- a Ruby Red: even though I don’t like grapefruit, it was tolerable and I was fine with having two small sips
All were good. Their drink list looked well thought-out with a nice selection of different liquors, flavors, and sweetness levels. Signature cocktails will run you a whopping $12 and martinis $13, the wine list starts at $8/glass, and the scotch list is $7-140. The drink prices may be steep but they’re somewhat worth it since they’re decently strong, well-made, and generous portions.
The decore is modern and luxurious, all “leather” seating at the tables, the bar, the lounge (complete with awkward fireplace - pictured on right), and the back room. The staff is (REALLY) friendly and provide snappy, efficient, and CORRECT service.
The food …oh, the food. Try the roasted corn soup, the French Dip, and just about anything else - including brunch. (Hint: they do trivia each Wednesday at 11am for a $25 gift card … you can try to beat me.)
In short, The Second Floor Bistro is second to none. Go for happy hour, but only shop after if you have a DP (designated purchaser).
Strength: 3.75
Overall: 4
The Second Floor Bistro
www.thesecondfloorrestaurant.com | @2ndFloorBistro
13340 Dallas Parkway (in the Galleria - Westin entrance)
(972) 450-2978
Specials:
Thursday & Friday | 4-7 p.m. | $2 off martinis and beers
Friday nights | 1/2 price appetizers
Saturday nights | 1/2 price desserts
A wise man once said, “Good + good = really good.” I couldn’t agree more.
Pinkberry (good) is now serving a new limited-time fro-yo flavor, peppermint (good). According to the equation, that would make this a “really good” situation.
Pinkberry was nice enough to give me a PINKBERRY PARTY FOR 10 to give to one of my (really lucky) fans. To enter, you must do one (or all) of the following:
my page (Facebook.com/SusieDrinksDallas) and post on my wall (don’t forget to tag Pinkberry)I will choose the winner on Friday, November 11 at noon. Good luck! (Whoever wins better take me with them!)
More about Pinkberry’s Peppermint frozen yogurt from the company itself:
Pinkberry, the original tart frozen yogurt brand, kicks off the holiday season with the introduction of its limited-time holiday flavor, Peppermint Pinkberry. Sweet and refreshing, Peppermint Pinkberry has a delicious minty taste with a hint of vanilla. Perfectly paired with all-natural peppermint bark and chocolate sauce, Peppermint Pinkberry is a one-of-a-kind holiday taste experience that only Pinkberry can deliver.