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Flip-ping Good

Flips is one of those places that you find a reason to go to. Since there’s really a little bit of everything here, that’s not hard to do.

A mouth-watering burger, a mini-arcade, a to-die patio (complete with plenty of seating, misters, and a huge projector), six pool tables, two bars, plenty of flat screens, incredibly clean restrooms, and bomb-a homemade chips are just a few of my favorite things about this laid-back resto.

Flips has something for families, sports nuts, pool junkies, bar flies, and the rest of us (though I guess I am considered a bar fly, so the rest of YOU). Walking into Flips, you are greeted by a HUGE stuffed bear on either side of you and a friendly hostess. You choose which bar or seating area fits your needs at the moment (basically whichever is closest to the huge flat screen playing what you want to watch or the large taxidermy* you want to sit under) and take a seat to peruse the menu of goodies.

Drinking at Flips seems like a good idea, and when you see the happy hour prices and drink specials, you realize that it’s a brilliant one. They not only have a stellar happy hour lineup, but they also offer deeply discounted drinks each day, (wait for it…) ALL DAY. They aren’t slouches over there, that’s for sure. The drinks are just strong enough to make them interesting but not so strong as to make you questionable while trying to balance on one foot to get the 8-ball in the corner pocket to win the pool game (it darn near made me more confident I was going to make it!).

The sweet potato fries are pretty darn good along with the hand-cut potato chips. You can’t go wrong with most of the food unless you’re a vegetarian (which a mural on the wall very clearly states isn’t healthy). The burgers are made with USDA choice chuck and are freshly ground. All burgers are $8 so it eliminates the dilemma of whether to splurge and spend the extra $2 for the mushroom swiss vs. the traditional. The serving sizes won’t leave you wanting more; Flips portions are very value oriented.

The wait staff is friendly and very outgoing. They can chat to you with a smile and still do their job very well. I don’t think I ever had less than a third of a glass of Diet Dr. Pepper before another was offered up. Also, have them tell you about the fireballs … you must try.

The only drawback about this place for this Dallasite is just that, I live quite far from it. From now on, the meetings that take me across the Metroplex will be strategically scheduled to ensure a pocket of time to visit the Flips bear (who has his own Facebook page … seriously). http://www.facebook.com/?sk=ru#!/LILLFLIP?ref=ts

*No animals were harmed for the specific purpose of display in a Flips building. All taxidermy was purchased at a charity auction whose proceeds went to the preservation of wildlife … ironic, eh?

Drink strength: 3.8
Overall: 4.4

Fort Worth Location:
Happy Hour | all day Monday, Tuesday-Friday 3-8 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. | $2 domestic drafts, $3 import drafts and wells

Monday | $2.25 domestic bottles, $2.50 domestic pints, $3.50 import pints and house wine, and $3.25 wells
Tuesday | $3 Tito’s, $5 Tito’s and Red Bull, $2.50 drafts, LIVE MUSIC at 8:30 p.m.
Wednesday | $3 22 oz. domestic drafts
Friday, Saturday | $2.25 domestic bottles, $2.50 domestic pints, $3.50 import pints and house wine, and $3.25 wells
Sunday | $2.75 Corona

Grapevine Location:
Happy Hour | Monday-Friday, 3-8 p.m., all day Thursday | $2 domestic drafts, $3 import drafts, $3 wells

Monday | $4 bomb shots, $3 Crown and down, $2.50 wells
Tuesday | $2 domestic pints, $2.50 import pints, TRIVIA at 7 p.m.
Wednesday | $2.50 22 oz. big boy domestic drafts, $2.75 Tecate and Corona bottles
Friday | $2.75 Tecate and Corona bottles
Saturday | $2 domestic pints, $2.75 Tecate and Corona bottles
Sunday | $2 domestic pints

This is grain, which any fool can eat, but for which the Lord intended a more divine means of consumption… Beer!

“Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves” – Friar Tuck

An intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend time with his fools.

Ernest Hemingway

prime hour

The buzz around Ocean Prime in Dallas was palpable when it first opened. The people of Dallas raved about it, but some critics weren’t didn’t feel the same about the new perfectly-located seafood restaurant. My opinion: don’t listen to the critics (except for me, of course), and make you own decision on this resto – I personally enjoyed myself the last couple of visits, as did my friends.

After all of my friends and I finally located the spot (it’s tough to find), we sat back to enjoy the two hour “Prime Hour” which boasts food and drink specials – most are about $4 or so off the regular prices. Cocktails are $8 and apps start at $5. The food is “shi shi” but still fills you up; definitely try the goat cheese ravioli and the fondue! Also, eat as much of the popcorn as you can; at first you wonder why they would bring such weak sauce to the table – and then you try it … kaBOOM … the truffle garlic butter takes over and you can’t stop eating it.

For cocktails, there aren’t many choices on the Prime Hour menu, but they edited them well and there are some nice choices: the cucumber gimlet, the blood orange negroni, and the pineapple Finlandia martini. Definitely try the aforementioned cucumber gimlet; the men at the table were sold on it after the first sip and couldn’t get enough of them.

The atmosphere is lively and the outside bar gets a little loud. Inside you can enjoy live music and rub elbows with the businessmen from the Crescent and the *ahem* mature women (read: cougars) of Dallas.

Random additional comments: they have extra large Sonic ice, the wait staff is très attractive and sassy (in a good way), the bread basket is a must, ask for water refills, allow time for your drink to be made, the bathroom doors need work so take a friend to guard it for you, don’t go in scrubby clothes, sit back and enjoy.

Drink strength: 3
Overall: 4.3

Ocean Prime
dallas.ocean-prime.com | @oceanprimecmr
2101 Cedar Springs Road, Uptown | (214) 965-0440

Specials:
Monday-Friday | 4-6 p.m. | $5-8 select appetizers, $8 selectwines by the glass, $8 select cocktails

Sorry about this weekend … I was drunk. I’ve just been such a lightweight since rehab.

… me (but it was a joke)

long live the queen

Fish and Chips with a Pimms and Lemonade – that is what you’d get if you were in London on a nice day with the sun shining after a walk in a park (patios are tougher to find over there, though!). It’s also what you will get at the Londoner, Dallas’s very own spot of London life which is rumored to have the best fish and chips in Dallas. The waiters and bartenders add to the authenticity because most of them have accents – someone seriously hold me back.

Review summed up: get your butt to this patio. It’s great people watching, plenty of seating, dog
friendly, and the shade of two huge trees provides just enough shade to make it pleasant – there is even a 2nd floor patio if you want a private table. Both patios give a great view of Downtown, too.

The decoration of The Londoner is somewhat intriguing if you can see it; it’s always a little bit dark inside. The ceiling is adorned with mugs of all shapes, sizes, and themes – try to pick your favorite. Also, pay special attention to the “Queens of England” piece on the wall of the stairs.

It’s a great place if you want to have a quick drink after work or if you want to grab a drink before heading out since its location is so ideal. Tuesday’s happy hour is well populated along with Thursday’s and Friday’s. Weekend nights here are manic – make sure you don’t expect to find a seat or a chance at the dart board.

Drink strength: 3.3
Overall: 4.2

The Londoner
www.londoner.com
2909 Thomas Avenue | (214) 979-2333

Specials:
Monday-Friday | 4-7 p.m. | $1 off liquor, beer and wine
Sunday | 4 p.m. – close | $1 off liquor, beer and wine