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

winedale tavern – CLOSED

Good things come in small packages, right? After enjoying a few drinks at Libertine Bar, Brandon mentioned the Winedale Tavern. I like to think I know a thing or two about the bar scene in Dallas, but I hadn’t even head of this place. Intrigued, we decided to make the long journey across the street to try it out.

It’s one of the smallest bars I have ever been in but it packed a punch and it was the epitome of a Dallas dive bar. Nestled on Lower Greenville, all you can see from the street is the front door with its name scrawled across in paint and you can hear the karaoke from across the street. The decor is unexpected so be prepared to see the

skulls above the bar!

We tried it on a Tuesday and they had super cheap margaritas on the rocks. As is in the “about me” section … I hate margaritas on the rocks. But this one, this one I drank (2 even!). The margaritas caused us to get a bit creative with the silly putty and pink cowboy hat we found and I will say it was quite the interesting night (just ask Yosemite Sam on the right).

Try Winedale Tavern out for a night just so you can say you’ve been.

Drink strength:
Overall:

Winedale Tavern
(214) 823-5018
2110 Greenville Ave
Dallas, TX 75206

Specials:
EVERYDAY | 1:30-7:30| $2 domestics, $3 wells
Tuesday & Thursday | Karaoke nights!

(maybe you’ll get lucky … the owner apparently randomly picks drink specials on random nights!)

sala – CLOSED

While I quite enjoyed the restaurant that it replaced, Amuse, I was quite taken with Sala. My sadness for the loss of Amuse was turned around when I learned of the fantastic specials offered by the new eatery. (Strangely enough, Sala was opened by the same owners because they believed the concept would jive better in Dallas.)

My friend, Tina, and I were down in the area for the Metric concert and I hadn’t eaten all day. Famished, I requested we meet before for a bite. The food was better than OK and the presentation was entertaining. The margaritas were STRONG. I hardly got through one before we finished our meal and could definitely tell I had it.

I’d say that for the my effort, Sala isn’t a destination. However, if you’re in the area, you should try it.If you’re going to a concert at the Palladium Ballroom, Gilly’s, Poor David’s, etc., have dinner here before. It’s tres convenient to park here, have dinner, and walk to the concert. Since parking costs $10 anyway, you may as well pay for dinner with it!

Drink strength: 4
Overall: 3.5

Sala
www.salatexmex.com
1326 South Lamar Street
Dallas, TX 75215
(214) 428-7300

the hangover cure

Today should have been TOUGH. Last night was my launch party … and it was quite a party. The Hangover Cure sent me a couple samples of their magic powder and I’m so lucky they did.

I have built up quite a tolerance due to my little website and usually get a hangover without so much as a bit of buzz the night before. Not only do I get the headache, but I get the nausea and heartburn to go with it (and I mean BAD heartburn).

Long story short, I felt great today after my big night last night. I woke up this morning to my first of three alarms with only 4 hours of sleep and functioned at work all day without so much as popping a single Tylenol. Needless to say, I’m a believe. “Please, sir, can I have some more?”

Buy it at www.drinkthc.com.

A word from our sponsor: “Competing hangover drink products use calcium carbonate and charcoal as their active ingredients. Yes, the same stuff you use to prevent heartburn and grill food with. Such products only account for moderate drinking and require you to keep taking pills all night. Who gets hungover after moderate drinking and who has time to take pills after every drink at a party? THC doesn’t play that. Instead, THC replenishes, rehydrates and protects your body after a night of debauchery, letting you cure a hangover safely and naturally. It just makes sense.”