Author Archives: Susie O

mai-tai one on – CLOSED

It’s been years since I’ve been into Trader Vic’s, Dallas’s very own retro-fitted tiki bar. A reader suggested I grab a few of the Tuesday $3 mai-tais for which Trader Vic’s is very well known.

After only two … I was festive (and for a good reason, there are 3 shots of liquor in each one!).

The Mai Tais at Trader Vic’s aren’t for the weak of heart, nor are any of the other fruity concoctions that the bar whips up. Each drink is incredibly different with a unique glass and an equally as unique name (cite the Chi Chi, Navy Grog, Kamaaina, etc.). If my liver could take it, I would love nothing more than to spend a week at that bar trying each drink. The Mai Tai even comes in three different flavors: rum, vodka, and tequila (which tastes like a fruity margarita).

To keep my composure, I ordered the crab rangoons which were incredibly savory (the mu shu my neighbor got was equally as good).

The bar got quite crowded but we noticed the restaurant was almost empty… even Elvis’s booth, #40, was empty (when he came to Dallas he would always request booth 40 because it can be seen from the door). While the institution isn’t as crowded as it was in ‘67 when it opened originally in the Hilton Hotel with the likes of Frank Sinatra, Bob Hope, and Elvis, it’s still nice to gather around the bar that Old Blue Eyes frequented. (Read more about the history … it’s enthralling!)

Drink strength: 4.5
Overall: 4

Trader Vic’s
www.tradervicsdallas.com
5330 East Mockingbird Lane
(214) 823-0600

Specials:
Monday-Friday | 4-7 p.m. | $5 Mai Tais, Bahias, Zombies, crab rangoons, and mu shu pork
Tuesday | all night | $3 Mai Tais

soFISHtication in deep ellum

St. Pete’s is the kind of place that I would want to one of the “regulars”. Pete, the owner but not the namesake, actually works behind the bar … and you can tell how much he loves what he does and has since it opened 16 years ago. St. Pete’s is named for the patron saint of fisherman, St. Peter (I guess that explains the 61 fish hanging from the rafters, walls, and doors).

Pete was quick with a joke and a drink, he even squeezes the limes FOR you – what customer service saving my hands from becoming sticky and pulpy from my limes – and each drink comes with a real marlin swizzle stick.

The food is good – definitely try the chicken strips! The drinks are pretty strong … my sister was a little questionable after her first drink that is now affectionately called “The Alice” (which is good because I can’t see Pete serving one of the regulars something called a “Pretty Pink Princess Majesty” (tequila and pineapple).

There is a secret free parking lot behind the place complete with a back entrance into the awesomely huge patio area. This place has plenty of seating, big TVs, and purse hooks (yes!). The regulars were men you’d expect to see hanging out at a bar and some of the other patrons had mohawks and tattoos … and then there was the cute guy at the bar dressed to the nines with really nice shoes on.

As Pete’s business card states about St. Pete’s Dancing Marlin, “It is what it is.”

Drink strength: 4
Overall: 3

St Pete’s Dancing Marlin
www.dancingmarlin.com
2730 Commerce Street
Dallas, TX 75226-1404
(214) 698-1511

Special:
Monday-Friday | 4-7 p.m. | $0.75-$1 off all drinks

Links for the lazy:

Nambe “Twist” Shaker and Glasses

Excitations.com

Jigger Cube

Wine of the Month Club

AK-47 Ice Cube Tray

nobu

So I’m going to shoot straight with you … I don’t make tons of money (though my shoe collection may convince some otherwise). If I did, I would dine at Nobu as often as possible. I haven’t ever had anything but a great experience there and the food and drinks are always spot on. After my last visit, I can rest assured that the next time I crave a good sake martini and rock shrimp, I can indulge myself without too much guilt at Nobu.

Nobu recently instituted ”Nobu Night” on Wednesday nights and it’s quite a doozy. $6 appetizers (decent portions), $7 specialty martinis, and $4 beers. Yes, this is the classy side of 75, so you should expect to pay a bit more … and it’s Nobu. At these prices, can you ignore your practical side for a night and not regret it the next morning.

When you walk in, the staff will greet you in a badly-timed unison of “ishayamasai” or “welcome” and the mood is sultry but energized. The decor is quite interesting with fake trees lining the far side of the restaurant and large columns throughout the dining area.

Make sure you get there at on the early side of happy hour because once the dinner crowd arrives, the wait staff gets a bit manic and the span between your drinks causes you to sober up and reconsider ordering another. But then again, Nobu isn’t the place for a quick drink, but the kind of place you go expecting a few hours of strong drinks and three rounds of appetizers and put your people watching hat on.

The clientele is a blast to watch. You see the businessmen sitting alone at the bar after a long day of work in the Crescent Towers and the older couples coming in for a quick bite of heaven before going to bed. You’ll also see the typical Dallas crowd filter in as it gets later … I usually slip out before they arrive!

Definitely spoil yourself and try their Nobu Night … your stomach will thank you, though your liver may not.

Drink strength: 3.5
Overall: 4

Nobu
www.noburestaurants.com
400 Crescent Court | Dallas, TX 75201-1838 (Inside the Crescent Hotel)
(214) 252-7000

Specials:
Monday, Tuesday & Friday | 5-7 p.m. | all beers $4.00, all Signature cocktails $7, select appetizers $6
Wednesday & Thursday | 5-10 p.m. | all beers $4.00, all Signature cocktails $7, select appetizers $6
Sunday | 50% all bottled wine $100 or less

Breakfast is for dull people. Brunch is for the fun people that didn’t get enough the night before.

SusieO

on a high note …

Stan’s Blue Note is right around the corner from my friend’s house … so needless to say, I’m there a lot. Stan’s is so much fun because, as often as I’m there, I still run into new people and new flamboyant characters and no night there is ever the same. If you are a usual here, you know that the management has changed. The jury’s still out on how that will change the place, but I know the former owner’s presence is missed.

Drinks aren’t too expensive and they are pretty strong and can inspire a pretty damn good night. I can say with confidence that some of the best nights I’ve had lately have been here. (You have to watch out for the flying eggs, though. One night I got smacked in the face with an egg a motorcyclist threw while driving by … SO not cool. My valiant friends tried to chase him but didn’t have any luck.)

The food at Stan’s is surprisingly good – try the chicken fried steak with jalepeno gravy or the buffalo chicken sandwich (not on the menu but you MUST try it!). Portions are HUGE – consider sharing with a friend.

High NOTES (bad pun, I know): varied clientele, good location, shuffleboard and Big Buck Hunter!, Tuesday nights
Low notes: not-so-nice bathrooms

Drink strength: 4
Overall: 2.5

Stan’s Blue Note
2908 Greenville Avenue | Dallas, TX 75206-6241
(214) 827-1977

Specials:
Monday-Friday | 11 a.m. -7 p.m. | $1 off everything

thrilling

How strange to have their logo be a target … but they sure hit the mark.

Launched this summer, Thrillist brings Dallas the cool places to be, eat, and go along with little tips on anything from Christmas gifts to gadgety electronics that you MUST buy to the place to find a frosty mug of beer.

Sign up for their daily email to hear about the coolest new Dallas trends and hot spots. Thrillist is what I would call the male answer to Daily Candy (we women can’t have all the fun, right?). With their witty writers and their punny titles, it makes reading their daily tips a bit of a fun trip. AND they know their stuff … I mean, they wrote about my little site so they must know what’s up!

Their launch party at Lemon Bar last night was a great time. Drinks concocted with Southern Comfort and elven waitresses passing out unlimited Dos Equis made standing in line to get free gifts from under the Thrillist Wonderland Christmas tree from Kid Robot go by quickly. Everyone was friendly and I even made some new friends thanks to the social lubrication provided by the sponsors.

I got to meet some of the editors and they are a blast and good eggs. I look forward to working with them in the future!

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

SusieDrinks

Drink well. Travel often.