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Incredibly hungover, I slung myself out of bed to vacate my house for a showing that was to arrive within the hour (p.s. shameless plug: if you’re looking for a townhouse in University Park - I have one for sale!).  Luckily, I had a brunch at R+D Cafe to occupy my mind and motivate me to get dressed despite my pounding headache (I had forgotten to take The Hangover Cure again … you’d think I’d learn).

Upon arrival, we had a reservation and actually had to wait (that’s a good sign - follow the crowd to the good food, right?).  Looking around, I was reminded of the incredible meals I’d had in this restaurant on previous occasions and my stomach grumbled, begging for the gastronomic orgasm that it knew was imminent.  Any restaurant by the developers of Houston’s is worth it’s weight (in drinks).

Sitting down, drinks were ordered to serve as the hair of the dog - we were delighted that there were drink specials for brunch.  I ordered a bloody mary and sat back in anticipation.  When the drinks came … well, to say the least it was an expectation hangover.  Their bloody mary tasted like cocktail sauce with a touch of clam and was pretty thin and had big chunks of peppercorn.  Usually, a little clam juice is fine, but this just wasn’t right.  The waitress told us that they make their own BM mix … and that answered my question.  I ordered a screwdriver and the waitress was nice enough to take the offending drink off the bill.

All of the other drinks we ordered were delightful and strong enough to make a difference.  The food was fantastic as was expected.  Definitely try some of their mango sushi and the dips - the meals are large so be prepared to roll yourself to your car after a meal.  Watch how much you order, it adds up quickly.

The atmosphere is very older Park Cities mixed with the more laid-back and obviously hungover young Dallasites.  The decore of Cafe R+D is delightful - modern and clean and has just the right amount of pretension.

Sadly there isn’t a happy hour here, but they are “researching” a new strategy: any alcoholic drink that comes in a regular glass is $8 and anything in a martini glass is $9.  I can’t decide how I feel about that but … it is what it is.

Drink strength: 3 
Overall: 4

R+D Kitchen (or Cafe R+D)
www.hillstone.com
8314 Preston Center Plaza Drive | 214-890-7900

Specials:

ALL DAY EVERY DAY | $8 all drinks, $9 martinis
Saturday & Sunday | til 4 p.m. | $4 bloody mary, mimosa, greyhounds, and screwdrivers

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

ch-ch-changes

Walking into my favorite pizza place in Dallas last week, it felt different … and I liked it.  The new menu items sound incredible and the extra seating made me hopeful that I’d never have to face another 45 minute wait for a table!

The pizza at Coal Vines is TO DIE.  My best friend from Austin orders a white pizza (not the white special) to take back with her each time she visits.  Yes, it’s that delicious.

The mimosa was just ok; they didn’t jump on the bottomless bandwagon as so many brunch destinations have so I don’t know if I’d come here just for their drink specials.  Their wine selection is good and they also sell  retail if you want to take it home to enjoy.

The people who dine at this establishment are the Uptown see-and-be-seen type.  They stop here and gobble a pie and guzzle a bottle before hitting the town.  The only problem with that is that every time I eat here, I leave so full that I can’t rally for a fun night out!

Stop in and grab a glass of wine and a pizza; don’t forget to be extra nice to their New York implant, Uncle John at the front door!  Everyone in Dallas should try this place once to know what good pizza tastes like.

Coal Vines Pizza
2404 Cedar Springs Rd | Dallas, TX 75201 
(214)855-4999‎
www.coalvines.com

Specials:
Sunday | 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. | $4 mimosas, poinsettias, Pompelmos, and peach lemonade bellinis

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

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

HULLY & MO

Scene 1:  A bedroom.
{Light up as sun shines through a curtained window.  Zoom in on clock beside bed; 11am on Sunday.  Pan to reveal a hungover Susie waking up.  Dazed, she looks around her room, fluffs her pillow, and initiates Operation: Brunch.  Her iPhone clicks along as texts are sent and a destination chosen.  She gets out of bed and dresses.}

Scene 2:  Hully and Mo.
The large, heavy doors with hockey stick handles set the mood of a rugged sports bar. Inside, plush booths and a shiny bar give it a relaxed, chic feel and make a hangover brunch at the brainchild of Mike Modano and Brett Hull ideal. This particular day a Rangers game was on and the multiple flat screen TVs gave everyone in the party an unobstructed view.

The multiple spicy (and pleasantly potent) bloody marys and bottomless mimosas washed down our breakfast/brunch/lunch choices perfectly while lubricating the conversation. While I think we scared our waitress a little, she served us with a smile and took our jokes with a grain of salt and never let our drinks touch the bottom.

Overall, their patio is a great place to spend a Sunday brunch (even if it was empty) or have a drink before walking across the street to GingerMan. What more could a man want from a sports bar more than good food, good drinks, plenty of TVs, and cute girls?                        … I’d say not much.

Hully and Mo: Restaurant & Tap Room
2800 Routh Street, Ste. 115
Dallas, TX 75201 
(214) 954-0203 
www.hullyandmo.com/

Specials:
Monday-Friday | 4pm-7pm $2 off cocktails and wine, $2.50 domestic bottles, $3.50 imports, $5 appetizers 
Saturday | 11am-4pm | $2 off cocktails and wine, $2.50 domestic bottles, $3.50 imports, $5 appetizers
Sunday | 11am-3pm | $3 bloody marys, $8 bottomless mimosas