Aaron Hendrickson | SusieDrinks

Old Chicago Pizza & Taproom celebrated its first birthday in Dallas since its opening on December 8, 2014 in Mockingbird Station. On December 11^th, they hosted a birthday bash with live music, giveaways, and more for the attendees. On December 13^th, I attended a media luncheon, where media supporters of Old Chicago were invited to experience their full menu and really extensive beer selection. Additionally, they invited us to experience their limited run of Blue Moon’s Gingerbread Spiced Ale and Martin House’s Pretzel Stout.

Old Chicago Pizza & Taproom’s Dallas location boasts 36 beers on tap–some unique, some usuals, and some locals–and a menu of handcrafted appetizers, salads, entrees and amazing pizza that will satisfy any craving.

I first discovered Old Chicago in Arizona with my wife and was immediately hooked. In the three months that we lived in there, we consumed more of their pizza than was socially acceptable. (It didn’t stop us.) It seems Susie’s had a similar issue avoiding their Italian Nachos.

There are some of the things that make Old Chicago unique:
1) SERVICE: they have excellent service and you’re always greeted kindly at the door.
2) QUALITY: their pizzas are handcrafted and made from scratch every day.
3) LOCAL CONNECTIONS: it always feels like a local pizza joint though there are quite a few locations all over the United States. Their selections of local craft beers really emphasize a connection to the community. Some of the Dallas location’s taps include selections from Lakewood Brewing, Deep Ellum Brewing and Revolver. (Their Friday happy hour beer special is always a Texas beer of the week.)
4) LATE NIGHT: they’re open until 2am every night!!!

During this event, I sampled the Sicilian Pepperoni Rolls (amazing and very highly recommended) and my personal favorite, the Double Deckeroni Pizza. This pizza is the reason I fell in love with Old Chicago in the first place. It has all the cheese, pepperoni and hot sauce you could dream of in a deep-dish pizza. Other samplings included the Ale Crust Italian Grinder pizza, Hand-Tossed Chicken Wings, and more.

This was an excellent experience, and I want to thank the General Manager, Dan Childers, and their local marketing coordinator, Esther Hirsch, for inviting our team to join. If you haven’t already done so, head over to Old Chicago Pizza & Taproom and experience the great food, atmosphere and staff for yourself! Beer selections and pizza choices, along with other dining options, can be found at Old Chicago’s online menu. Also ask about the World Beer Tour, which rewards members for enjoying 110 of the best craft beers locally and across the globe.

Cheers!

OLD CHICAGO PIZZA & TAPROOM
oldchicago.com | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Mockingbird Station (5319 Mockingbird Lane, Suite 100)
214-821-5700

This event also featured a new amazing bakery in town, Tricia’s Treats, who surprised us all with a personalized cupcake for each attendee. I know we will be seeing great things from them in the future!

The best place to be on July 23rd, the day before National Tequila Day, was in the upstairs private room at Mesero by Mico Rodriguez, located on Henderson Avenue. Guests at this private event donated $1,000 per couple to the Pat & Emmitt Smith Charities to attend.

The night started with the Russ Hewitt Trio playing music while Tequila Herradura cocktails and brisket nachos, chicken flautas, and shrimp ceviche were passed to the hungry attendees.

Once the guests were called to be seated, Emmitt Smith was introduced to welcome everyone and speak briefly about his wife’s and his charity and what the evening had in store.

“Thank you guys for supporting Pat and Emmitt Smith Charities,” Smith said, addressing the intimate crowd before the dinner got underway. “The work that we do couldn’t get done without the help and support of people like yourselves. Tonight is an opportunity for everyone here to get to understand and learn about the Herradura culture.”

Smith continued to explain his experience traveling to Guadalajara and learn the entire process of how Herradura makes the tequila, and how “it is one the cleanest tequilas out there, and that makes the taste itself very pure.”

After the introduction, guests were guided through the dinner and tastings by global brand ambassador for Tequila Herradura, Ruben Aceves.

He began the dinner explaining the concept of a tequila dinner. “We are going to have dinner like we do in Mexico–where we drink tequila before dinner, with dinner and after dinner with desert.”

Before the salad course, Jose Cortes, a third-generation Jimador demonstrated the harvest of an agave plant while Aceves explained the process.

Each course consisted of a tequila margarita pairing that included Herradura Tequila–Silver, Reposado, Ultra or Selección Suprema.

As each tequila was presented with its course and Aceves described their qualities and how each was made.

The Cazera Salad was served with the Meserita cocktail, made with Herradura Silver, Cointreau and citrus.

The second course sampled a cheese tomatillo enchilada, pollo brasa with chipotle cheddar grits and the Mico “12” a la Mexicana. The La Dona cocktail (Herredura Reposado, Cointreau and citrus) complemented this course.

The Pastel Cinco Leches was the final delicacy of the evening. It was paired with the El Santo (frozen Micorita made with Herradura Silver, house Sangria and Herradura Ultra). Herradura Ultra is the most recent addition to the Tequila Herradura family. It is an traditional Añejo tequila blended with premium Añejo tequila that creates a very smooth, subtly sweet tequila.

To cap off the evening, guests sampled the Extra Añejo, Selleción Suprema de Herradura, which is Tequila Herredura’s highest quality tequila.

This event raised $25,000 for the Pat & Emmitt Smith Charities, which provide educational opportunities and experiences to underserved children. If you’d like to donate or learn more, visit www.emmittsmith.com.

If you want to sample these cocktails yourself, you can visit Mesero and experience your own tequila dinner!