Author Archives: Susie O

greenville bar and grill – CLOSED

Greenville Bar and Grill was a complete surprise. I’ve seen it driving down Greenville many-a-time but never made it in … until last night. The “oldest bar in Dallas” (est. 1933) was anything but a typical Greenville Bar.

The history of this bar was somewhat entertaining: after being shut down quite a few years ago for building code violations (eek!), Merkow’s Steak and Seafood threw a pretty penny at the building and shined it up like new. Sadly, Merkow’s didn’t work out – so Greenville Bar and Grill returned to the Dallas bar scene with a nice face lift.

When I say this place was a surprise, I’m not saying that lightly. I walked in and was delighted to see huge HD TVs all over the place and a well-stocked (and CLEAN!) bar. I plopped down at the bar to wait for my friend and Stevie, the bartender offered up my first Tito’s and water with two limes and a couple jokes (he posited that it’s best to stay away from their wells – I took the advice since I didn’t have a happy hour to review for another hour and a half).

My friend arrived and we watched the Steelers game at the bar as the Sunday night poker group filtered in. I suppose it would be a scene that mirrors how Japan’s Night Life is booming, especially with the gambling intent. There were people of all walks and it got pretty darn crowded so we met a few of them. 9 p.m. hit and we switched over to wells to take advantage of the poker specials (some special, $4 wells? no thanks!). I guess now it’s closed, there won’t be anyone enjoying the $4 specials, but I guess there will be plenty of people still wanting to play poker through an online gambling website like www.best-casino.net/ or another similar that could offer them poker nights at home. I guess the main advantage to this would be the fact that if someone went to play poker in a physical establishment, they will be playing house rules, whereas online they get to choose what poker games they wish to play, I hear online that 3 card poker is popular among some of the other variants.

This place is worth a try if you’re going to eat (the food is pretty good). If drinks are your aim, they aren’t very strong and are pretty expensive on top of it all (my Tito’s and water was $7 and it was a standard size). Just make sure you go to the bathroom before you go; the bathrooms smell a bit and are cramped.

Positives: Lots of HD TVs, good food, clean

Drink strength: 2.5
Overall rating: 3

Greenville Bar & Grill
www.greenvillebarandgrill.com
2821 Greenville Avenue
Dallas, TX 75206(214) 821-2828

Specials:
Monday | $3 wells, 1/2 off bottles of wine – Poker at 7 & 10 p.m.
Tuesday | $4 you call its, $3 beers – Poker at 7 & 10 p.m.
Wednesday | $2 domestic drafts, $3 Import Drafts
Thursday | $3 Wells (ladies only), $8 domestic pitchers and $12 import pitchers for everyone
Friday | Live music at night
Saturday | 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. | $2.50 Mimosas, Bloody Marys & Screwdrivers – Live music at night
Sunday | 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. | $2.50 Mimosas, Bloody Marys & Screwdrivers (after 9 p.m. $4 wells and $3 domestics) – Poker at 10 p.m.

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)

ravenna

I am always a bit reticent to head into the traffic-packed cement jungle that is downtown Dallas, but I am quite glad I braved the traffic on this Wednesday evening. Since I didn’t have to go too far into the mess, I was glad to spend some time at Ravenna.

Ravenna is a pretty darn authentic Italian restaurant nestled on the corner of Main and Field. The feel of the restaurant is cozy and the staff is all incredibly friendly and helpful. Our time at Ravenna was really enjoyable and the drinks and food made it even better.

The happy hour crowd appears to be mostly regulars sitting at the bar but this place gets really packed later. People will wait for the downtown clubs to open or let them in and grab a slice and a martini at Ravenna to pass the time.

Milan, the proprietor, was incredibly attentive and entertaining. He sat with our table and regaled us with with his journey from Chicago to Dallas while we sipped our potent and delicious ginger martinis (a Milan creation). Ravenna is so focused on customer service that they will stay open until everyone leaves (and they deliver pizzas late late late!).

Go for the drinks, stay for the food.

Drink strength: 4

Ravenna Italian Restaurant
www.ravennadallas.com
1301 Main Street | Dallas, TX 75202
(214) 744-9333

Specials:
Monday-Friday | 5-7 p.m. | $1 slice of pizza with purchase of $3 Brooklyn pint
Monday-Friday | 2-7, 11 p.m. – 1 a.m. | $3 wells and domestics, $3.50 margaritas, $5 signature martinis

chuy’s

I suppose it was inevitable that I would end up reviewing a chain. While I don’t love chains, this one wasn’t too shabby aside from one major hitch in the giddy-up (since this site is for Dallasites, I feel that I can use Texasisms!).

$3.50 margaritas usually wouldn’t impress me but these come in a hefty glass and you get your choice of regular, strawberry, or swirl (sadly, sangria swirls are extra). Our bartender, DJ, was quite efficient and friendly but the other bartender working wasn’t much of either. We ordered an appetizer and it arrive very quickly.

Now for the hitch: Chuy’s draw for happy hour isn’t so much their drink specials as it is their corvette trunk full of free chips and queso. The dip and such usually are a great perk, but there were three people who had to wait 4-1/2 minutes for bowls for the queso. A fellow happy hour-goer offered his thoughts on the matter.

“While the incident was regrettable, I’d say it didn’t affect my happy hour experience overall, but if you’re asking me to critique the service industry I would say they definitely failed in their attentiveness to the situation. It would have been nice if someone was quicker to recognize people had assembled in front of their ‘appetizer buffet’ looking confused and bowlless. I think it goes a long way if a server let’s you know they’re working on it and people probably wouldn’t care about waiting a few minutes in that situation. It’s four and a half minutes of my life I’ll never get back.”

Thanks for your comments, Mark! 😉

Overall, Chuy’s wasn’t a bad pick, just try to take your own bowl with you so you don’t have to leave your happy hour buddy all alone at the bar.

Drink strength: 3

Chuy’s
www.chuys.com
4544 Mckinney Ave | Dallas, TX 75205-4214
(214) 559-2489

Specials:
Monday-Friday | 4-7 p.m. | Fully loaded nacho car, $3.50 Margaritas, $6.75 house Texas martinis, $2.75 domestic beers

libertine bar

Did you know that it’s possible to spend 7 hours in a bar and not realize it? Well, I haven’t done it in 3-1/2 years but Thursday night proved that it isn’t too difficult to do at the right bar. We ate, we drank, we laughed, and we enjoyed the Libertine Bar quite a bit.

Between the two of us, we tried every drink on the classic cocktail menu and then some – and they were good. The Dark n Stormy, Pimm’s Cup, The Bronx, etc. … all were delightfully different and intriguing (and considerably stronger than expected – watch out for the Aviator!). Matt had the pint of the week so he could have a cool pint glass, but in the end he forgot it (bust).

The staff at Libertine contributed to the fun. They were incredibly outgoing and friendly without crowding us or being annoying. The other thing that contributed to the fun was the AMAZING, nay, delicious food. If I could only have one bar’s hot wing’s for the rest of my life, it would be Libertine’s. Ordinary hot wings these were not, they were pork shanks that FELL off the bone, literally. This plate of food was what dreams are made of and I can’t wait to have them again.

When you visit, make sure you clear your schedule because, yes, it is that great!

Drink Strength: 4
Overall: 4.5

Libertine Bar
www.libertinebar.com | @libertinebar
2101 Greenville Ave | Dallas, TX 75206-7125
(214) 824-7900

the hacienda on henderson

All I can say is, “What a night.” Not only is a Tuesday at Hacienda $3 margarita night, but as it turns out, it’s also the night they bring in liquor companies to hand out samples. Needless to say, we enjoyed ourselves.

I got there before everyone else and the waitress took the time to have a chat with me so I wasn’t sitting alone for too long (how nice!). When my friends got there … menus were distributed and it came time not for the decision of WHICH tex-mex tapa to try, but which to try first. Mouths watering, we ordered our tapas and margaritas and partook in the chips and salsa.

The food was great and the margaritas were even better. You can add a shot of “infused” tequila (choose from strawberry, pineapple, and mango habanero) for only $2 – and they sure pack a punch.

Fun things about Hacienda: a great porch, a great location, live music Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights, free booze from promotors on Tuesdays, and a kitchen that stays open til 2 a.m. (perhaps an homage to Cuquita’s which was formerly housed nearby).

Drink Strength: 3

The Hacienda on Henderson
www.haciendaonhenderson.com | @haciendadallas
2326 N Henderson Ave | Dallas, TX 75206
214-515-9990

Specials:
HAPPY HOUR DAILY | 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. | $1 off all drinks
Tuesday | $3 house margaritas and $3 tapas
Sunday | brunch 11am-3pm

sushi axiom

We strolled into Sushi Axiom for our reverse happy hour after a glass at Veritas and a quick meetup at Capitol Pub on a Thursday night. The bar was somewhat full but the restaurant wasn’t. We opted for a table on their huge patio since it was a nice night and people watching on Henderson is always interesting. Once seated, we ordered some rolls and a sampler. While not a sushi connoisseur, I was with two people who are and didn’t love our spread of food.

The reverse happy hour specials (read: sake) didn’t bring out my sake bomb game, but were fun nonetheless. Our waitress also made our time at Sushi Axiom quite interesting and the strong drinks didn’t hurt.

I’d say your best bet is to sit at the bar and chat to one of my new favorite bartenders in Dallas, Kevin; he’s good for a good conversation and a laugh or two. Just stay away from the spring rolls and good luck trying to get the happy hour specials straight!

Drink strength: 4

Sushi Axiom
www.sushiaxiom.net
2323 N. Henderson | Dallas TX, 75206
(214) 828-2288

Specials:
Happy Hour | M-Th | 5-7 p.m. | $2 off appetizers, $2 off classic rolls
Reverse Happy Hour | M-Th | 9-11 p.m. | $3 drafts, hot sake, and signature rolls, $1 sushi

SusieDrinks

Drink well. Travel often.