villa-oh my gosh, yum

This organic cafe knows how to do brunch!  I’ve been known to lose track of time when at bars, but this was a brunch that lasted 3-1/2 hours.  Let’s be for real, though … how could anyone turn down brunch, nay, brunch with bottomless drinks for a reasonable price?  Definitely not me.

While I waited a hot 2 minutes by the front door for the host to acknowledge me, he was very friendly when he did and led me to a plush booth toward the back of the blue-and-white restaurant.  This restaurant has been host to many-a work dinners and various other meals and events, and I seem to have a completely experience each time.

On a Monday they offer a free 2-course meal (full servings, no kidding) and it will only cost you the tip.  Though you can get caught with this by ordering drinks and dessert, it’s still a fantastic deal.  Get one sfuzzi and your night is made - it’ll get you festive.

Sundays are brilliant because you can mix-and-match.  Having to choose one drink to be your bottomless choice is almost like choosing a husband … one flavor for an entire meal?  No, thanks.  Luckily Villa O is liberal with their choices and their portions.

The food at Villa O is very good and, as I mentioned, the portions are large so an entree can fill you up and leave you enough to take home for a midnight snack.  The bread, though, is the crowning glory of this restaurant.  I could be happy for the rest of my life with their bread basket and bottomless choices.

Drink strength: 3 (except for the sfuzzi which gets a 4.5!)
Overall: 4

Villa O
villaorestaurant.com
4514 Travis Street
(214) 780-1880

Specials:
Sunday | til 3 p.m. | bottomless drinks (your choice of mimosas, sfuzzis, bloody marys, or bellinis) $8 | kids eat free all day
Monday | free 2-course meal
Wednesday | 1/2 price wine
Thursday | $3 drinks for SMU students only

smoke-d

Smoke replaced Cliff Cafe not too long ago and I couldn’t wait to try it.  I should have, though.  The tortuous route there due to two different wrecks started our day off on a bad note and the bbq restaurant had the potential to turn things around … but didn’t.

We were greeted by a host suited in overalls, a plaid shirt, and a sport coat - a surprising combination but he owned it.  We were led to a table in the back corner and had to step over AV equipment.  Sitting down, the tablecloths were topped with brown paper; a cozy touch but it proved to be annoying because it got caught every time I tried to move my arm.

We were delighted to hear that there was a mimosa deal so we each ordered a glass and began our mission to have a Sunday funday kicked off with bottomless mimosas.  They were strong and pretty darn good … but weren’t refilled quickly; we had to ask twice to get refills.  Finally, at the end of the meal we were given a pitcher.

Now for the service and food:  the menus were awesome - if you want to order family style, you fill out a scantron sheet.  Sounds efficient but we somehow got a wrong side, an extra 1/2 order of ribs, and were even charged wrong in the end.  Skip the beans - they tasted disgusting (the waiter even pulled a face when he tasted one).  Also, don’t bother with the “fresh out of the oven” biscuits because they came out cold in the middle and the pot holding the jelly they claim to make fresh every day was empty.  To top it all off … it was really expensive.

A friend actually made the comment when they started setting up the AV equipment that if the music is as good as the food we had better get out of there quickly.  Bottom line:  I would have been a lot happier if they just left Cliff Cafe there.

Extras:  large room with a pool table, plenty of parking, great view of Dallas from the Belmont Hotel, and a hotel conveniently located next door if you have too much to drink

Drink strength: 4 
Overall: 2

Specials:
Monday-Friday | 4-7 p.m. | $1.50 off all drinks
Sunday | 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. | $11 bottomless mimosas

Smoke
www.smokerestaurant.com
901 Fort Worth Avenue (beside the Belmont Hotel)
(214) 393-4141‎

monica’s aca y alla

We’re in a recession, right?  Well, whether your wallet is hurting or you just like to get a lot of bang for your buck, you need to head over to Monica’s.  We brunched on Sunday and for the three of us to share queso and each have three drinks and an entree, we only spent $11 each!

The prices aren’t the only appealing thing … the food was to DIE for.  They had white queso that’s the best queso I’ve had in Dallas - hands down.  We all loved our meals and our waiter, Pedro, was very friendly and hooked us up with an “extended” happy hour.

The clientele was INCREDIBLY varied.  There were Nebraska fans watching the football game (there are 2 TVs), a couple tables of Deep Ellum residents, and an older couple.  At the end of our meal, we were the only people in the restaurant which was nice because we had full run of the TV!

Definitely try this place!  Good food, amazing drink specials, free valet on the weekends, and dancing after dinner on Saturday.  What more could you want?

Drink strength: 3
Overall: 4

Monica’s Aca Y Alla Restaurant
www.monicas.com
2914 Main St | Dallas, TX 75226 
(214) 748-7140‎

Specials:
Tuesday | all night | 1/2 price food (selected items only)
Wednesday | $0.75 margaritas (with purchase of entree - limit 3)
Thursday | all night | $4.50  Tex-Mex, $3.50  happy hour
Friday | all night | $3.00 happy hour
Saturday | Live Music and dancing
Sunday | (til 3 p.m.) $1.00 Mimosas & Margaritas, $2.50 Bloody Mary & Screwdriver (night) $4.50 Top shelf Margaritas, Flavored Margaritas and well drinks

jorge’s tex mex

While I love to tell you how great bars are, I also love to tell you which ones not to waste your time on.  I had high hopes for Jorge’s because, let’s face it, I like that they spell George with a J (should out to my Cuban friend, Dr. J!).  Sadly, my experience here wasn’t great.

When we walked in we were sold on choosing Jorge’s over The Screen Door because I spotted the word “bottomless” on the brunch menu.  So my sister and I ordered a quick meal before heading to the Winspear.  I ordered the bottomless mimosa and, while it arrive in a cool, stemless champagne glass, it had ice in it … ICE IN A MIMOSA!  I could have overlooked the ice if it tasted a little better; it tasted like it was made with cheap orange juice.

Our meal was just OK and the service was pretty bad.  Everyone was friendly and attentive enough … when we saw them.  The staff seemed to be too enthralled in the lumberjack competition on ESPN to be bothered with customers.  We actually had to walk up to the bar to get our check.

A third guest joined us late and ordered the mimosa and was told only after she got it that it would be regular price since she hadn’t ordered a meal.  I understand rules but sometimes you have to learn to break them in the name of customer service.

Don’t waste your time on this mediocre restaurant when you have such great choices all around you in One Arts Plaza - life is too short to drink bad drinks and eat bad food!

Drink strength: 2
Overall: 2

Jorge’s Tex Mex Cafe
www.jorges.com
1722 Routh St (in One Arts Plaza)
(214) 720-2211

Specials:
Monday-Friday | 2-6 p.m. | $5 house margaritas, $6 wells and select wines by the glass
Saturday & Sunday | $6 bottomless mimosas (with purchase of entree)

cuba libre

Truth be told, my group was set on Vickery Park for brunch.  Since the wait was going to take quite a while, we took a walk down the street and ducked into Cuba Libre to check out their drink specials.  DING DING DING, WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER … $5 bottomless mimosas and bellinis and $5 bloody marys AND their patio is dog friendly (my best friend’s dog, Leo, tagged along for brunch).

We gathered around the table and our waiter took our drink orders (though we could tell the idea of alcohol made him shudder from his activities the night before).  There were so many tempting options on the menu for food we had trouble picking so we made some snap decisions, laid back, and sipped our drinks.

The bellini is frozen and very sweet, one was enough so it was great that they let us switch between the bellinis and mimosas with our bottomless deal.  The first round of bloody marys were had to stomach.  They weren’t very strong and they tasted quite terrible actually.  When the manager came around to check on us, I let him know how I felt about the bloody mary and he apologized.  Two minutes later we saw him run across the street and come back with a bottle of bloody mary mix - what a champ.  Needless to say, round two was much better!

In the future, I’d say that you can’t go wrong with the steak and egg tacos and their delightful blood orange mimosa.  That’s what I’ll be having on my next brunch trip!

Cuba Libre
www.cubalibredallas.com
2822 N Henderson Ave | Dallas, TX 75206
(214)827-2820

Specials:
Monday-Friday | 4-7 p.m. | $2 off specialty drinks, $20 pitchers frozen drinks
Tuesday | all day | 1/2 off frozen drinks
Wednesday | all day | 1/2 price mojito pitches
Saturday & Sunday | until 4 p.m. | $5 bottomless mimosas and bellinis, $4 bloody marys

taverna

The Lombardis know how to do brunch. $1 mimosas and bellinis can’t miss - but the food at Taverna makes the brunch that much better.

When I arrived, I was waiting on the rest of my 6-person party that was in from Pittsburgh. The waiter showed me to my table and entertained me until they showed … with one extra. “NO PROBLEM!” Another seat appeared without much drama. Five minutes later, another surprise guest. “NO PROBLEM!” Another seat appeared and all that was missing was a water.

As I mentioned, the food was great. The crab eggs benedict were (according to one of my dining companions), “The best I’ve ever had west of Pittsburgh!” There’s a compliment if I’ve ever heard one. I had the breakfast calzone and it was great, but make sure you split it because it’s HUGE.

The drinks, superb and quickly replenished … though I would say a big of creme de cassis would have made them a bit better. Pay attention to the small print; the drinks are only $1 if you get an entree.

Taverna was a great place for brunch - as all the Lombardi restaurants are!

Taverna
www.tavernabylombardi.com
3210 Armstrong Ave | Dallas, TX 75205-4131
(214) 520-9933
You can visit a Taverna in Dallas, Fort Worth, and Austin.

Specials:
Saturday and Sunday | 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. | $1 bellinis or mimosas with purchase of an entree

Blue Goose

Since I first moved to Dallas, I heard rumors of the Blue Goose margarita … and they are all true.  Sunday brunch at Blue Goose was sprinkled with families and hungover “adults” enojoying their hair of the dog.  My personal hair of the dog on this particular day was none other than my favorite drink: the bloody mary.  The boys partook in the margaritas (and numerous ones at that!).

This was no ordinary bloody mary … no sir.  This was a bloody mary crafted by hands that know my every wish and desire for the drink:  thick and spicy with a hint of lime.  Wondering who the master mixologist was?  I’ll let you in on a secret:  Blue Goose let’s you make your own.  The bloody mary spread is complete with five kinds of bases and even offers olives and shrimp (which I don’t recommend!).

The food came in huge, delicious portions and I definitely recommend the queso con todo - I’m a sucker for a taco shell.  My only complaint was that our waiter wasn’t Johnny on the spot; though the rest of the morning was delightful.

Blue Goose Cantina
www.bluegoosecantina.com
2905 Greenville Ave
Dallas, TX 75206-6240
(214) 823-6786

Specials:
Monday | 2:30 p.m. - close | happy hour
Tuesday | 2:30-6:30 p.m. | $2 Tecate, happy hour
Wednesday | 2:30-6:30 p.m. | happy hour
Thursday | 2:30-6:30 p.m. | $3 queso, house margaritas, and all beers
Friday | 2:30-6:30 p.m. | happy hour
Sunday | all day | $2 Miller Lite

Nick & Sam’s Grill

I had high hopes for Nick & Sam’s Grill when I woke up Sunday morning; I went for a jog, did my laundry, and even took it easy Saturday night so I could enjoy my experience to the fullest and really sate my gluttony … and I’m so glad I did.

Upon walking into the modernly decorated restaurant (formerly Strong’s), we saw many familiar faces that were already seated enjoying the food and drink (and some beautiful faces I didn’t know but would have liked to!) - they recommended the omelette station (apparently it was the first day they had it available).  It was a perfectly sunny day, ideal for enjoying a brunch on the patio.  The beautifully-mixed blood orange (bottomless) mimosa hit the spot while waiting for our table.

Once seated, Olivia and I ordered our choices with much difficulty - everything on the menu sounded fantastic - and noshed on the sticky breads, pain au chocolate, and croissants while sipping our mimosas.  The wait staff was on top of things to say the least.  They eagerly stood by to fill our glasses back to the top and were quick to offer advice or a funny remark.  I ordered a spicy bloody mary to accompany my meal and it was delightful - honestly the best I’ve had in Dallas.

Our food was out in a snap: Asian chicken salad, breakfast quesadilla, and the best grilled cheese and tomato soup I’ve had in ages - I definitely recommend!  This was not your mama’s grilled cheese; the secret ingredient: pear.  Brilliant.  The bloody mary was the perfect complement to the sandwich.

The meal was a delight and I strongly recommend visiting … just make sure your stomach and the night ahead of you are empty!

Nick & Sam’s Grill
2816 Fairmount St
Dallas, TX 75201
(214) 303-1880

Specials:
Tuesday - Friday | free appetizers at the bar (while there are no drink specials, they make up for it with other perks!)
Saturday & Sunday | bottomless mimosas $6

Penne Pomodoro

Another Sunday, another brunch … and Penne Pomodoro’s rivals the best of them. $1 Bloody Marys, bellinis, and mimosas start any Sunday Funday off the right way!

Many weekend mornings I hear the perverbial siren call of the Bloody Marys at P.P. and never regret answering that call — at least not until I’m immobile from the “fun” at 3 p.m. The strength of the drinks lures me back time after time even though I don’t like Italian food (which I feel says a lot!). If you get the mimosa they will actually bring the bottle of champagne to your table to refill; you usually end up with a glass of champagne with just a touch of orange juice by the end of the meal. The bellinis are delightful frozen masterpieces that cause brain freezes from drinking too heartily.

Sadly, the service isn’t great unless you can find a way to get the older gentleman with the glasses as your waiter (I had to get up to get my own water this past week). The wait staff for the most part is nice, and I always seem to be jealous of whatever adorable outfit the girl at the front is wearing.

Basically, P.P. holds a special place in my heart … especially since it’s close enough for me to walk home after the copious strong and cheap drinks!

Penne Pomodoro
www.pennepomodoro.com

SPECIALS:

Snider Plaza
Saturday and Sunday | brunch | $1.00 Bellinis, Mimosas and Bloody Marys with purchase of entrée

Preston and Forest
Monday and Tuesday | evening | 1/2 priced bottles of wine with purchase of entrée
Wednesday | evening | Kids eat free from kids menu with adult purchase of entrée
Saturday and Sunday | 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. | $1.00 Bellinis, Mimosas and Bloody Marys with purchase of entrée

Lakewood 
Tuesday | evening | 1/2 priced bottles of wine with purchase of entrée
Wednesday | evening | Kids eat free from kids menu with adult purchase of entrée
Saturday and Sunday | 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. | $1.00 Bellinis, Mimosas and Bloody Marys with purchase of entrée