Tag Archives: brunch

my main squeeze

The Grape has gotten a lot of attention for its burgers … but it’s sooooo much more than an amazing burger that is so good that it is only sold two days a week and caused the restaurant to hire an extra hand in the kitchen to prepare.

Their happy hour is brilliant; you can get cheap drinks while paying next to nothing for the amazing food they serve (especially compared to their regular prices). We took part in wells, martinis, fries, the cheese plate, the mini brat burgers, and plenty of sunshine. Try the fries, you won’t be sorry … but make sure you have a piece of gum to chew after!

Their drinks were strong enough to give us quite a fun feeling and the need to partake in more rounds of appetizers. The dirty martini could have been been shaken for a few more minutes but was overall superbly mixed. The drinks became successively stronger as we sat.

The patio at The Grape is very nice other than its proximity to the street – it’s slightly loud during “rush hour”. Take a pair of sunglasses and speak a little louder and you’ll be set. Sit in the bar, which has an incredibly cool with an old-timey feel; they keep the doors open so you can still feel the nice breeze without the noise.

The wait staff is incredible. Each and every one of them cater to your any need and in a snappy way … and with a smile. I haven’t ever had anything but an amazing (if not exemplary) customer service experience here. The chef will even walk around and chat when the kitchen isn’t slammed. The best thing about The Grape’s happy hour: they make sure you know when it’s last call.

Their brunch is also quite a pip; the wounded yellowbird is addicting and the food is amazing. It’s worth getting out of bed after a night out to have a meal here.

Drink strength: 4
Overall: 5 (just FYI … I think this is my first 5!)

The Grape Restaurant
www.thegraperestaurant.com
2802 Greenville Ave | (214) 828-1981

Specials:
Monday-Friday | 4:30-7 p.m. | $2 domestics, $3 wells, $5 glasses of wine, select appetizers under $6
Sunday | 10:30 a.m. – 2 p.m. | $6 Wounded Yellowbird and bloody marys, $4 mimosas

vickery park

Alas, the time has come to write another less-than-positive review – but this one is still nowhere close to as bad as Elbow Room. I will try to be fair.

Each and every time I drive down Henderson, the patio of Vickery Park calls my name; it’s spacious and usually boasts a decent crowd. The patio has to be one of the best in Dallas. While I’ve had drinks here on weekends, this is the first time I’ve really hung out in the bar and spent an evening taking it in.

Our waitress was friendly, sweet, and prompt with our food and drink. The food was really good and was a little bit too fancy for it to be classified as typical bar food. It just so happened that Mondays are buy one sandwich, get one free – what a deal! The atmosphere is incredibly laid back and the music is great. The owner (who works behind the bar, also) loads her iPod up with her favorites and presses play.

However, they apparently do not go by, nor teach their staff, the familiar adage, “The customer is always right.” At the end of our meal and after a couple rounds of birthday shots, our checks came and we were nearly positive that we had less drinks than were billed. We asked our waitress and she was incredibly defensive while we were quite calm – whether we were wrong or right, the proper response for someone in the service industry would be, “I apologize for the confusion, let me look into it at the bar.”

She got the owner/bartender involved and she wasn’t any more helpful than the waitress. At least appease the customer by being nice and not by listing your credentials or telling them they shouldn’t argue two drinks because they already got something else for free (mind you: it was buy one, get one free sandwich night).

Once again, whether I was wrong or right, there is no need to be nasty to a customer. I paid for the extra drinks mainly because I didn’t want to fight with the staff anymore … but let’s just say, if we had all the drinks we were billed for, we may have at least gotten a buzz.

Even with the bad taste the small tiff left in my mouth, I will be back to Vickery Park to try the all you can eat mussels and relax on their porch (the mussels are meant to be some of the best in the city!).

Drink strength: 2.5
Overall: 3.7 (I give them this many merely for the food and atmosphere)

Vickery Park
www.vickeryparkbar.com
Dallas location: 2810 North Henderson Avenue | (214) 827-1433
Plano location: 1011 East 15th Street | (972) 423-6205

Specials:
Monday | buy one sandwich, get one free
Tuesday | all you can eat mussels for $15
Wednesday | 1/2 price bottles of wine when you order a cheese plate or a large order of mussels

Monday-Friday | 4-7 p.m. | $1 off domestics, wells, and drafts
Saturday & Sunday | 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. | $10 carafes of mimosas, bloody marys, and sangria

research this

Incredibly hungover, I slung myself out of bed to vacate my house for a showing that was to arrive within the hour (p.s. shameless plug: if you’re looking for a townhouse in University Park – I have one for sale!). Luckily, I had a brunch at R+D Cafe to occupy my mind and motivate me to get dressed despite my pounding headache (I had forgotten to take The Hangover Cure again … you’d think I’d learn).

Upon arrival, we had a reservation and actually had to wait (that’s a good sign – follow the crowd to the good food, right?). Looking around, I was reminded of the incredible meals I’d had in this restaurant on previous occasions and my stomach grumbled, begging for the gastronomic orgasm that it knew was imminent. Any restaurant by the developers of Houston’s is worth it’s weight (in drinks).

Sitting down, drinks were ordered to serve as the hair of the dog – we were delighted that there were drink specials for brunch. I ordered a bloody mary and sat back in anticipation. When the drinks came … well, to say the least it was an expectation hangover. Their bloody mary tasted like cocktail sauce with a touch of clam and was pretty thin and had big chunks of peppercorn. Usually, a little clam juice is fine, but this just wasn’t right. The waitress told us that they make their own BM mix … and that answered my question. I ordered a screwdriver and the waitress was nice enough to take the offending drink off the bill.

All of the other drinks we ordered were delightful and strong enough to make a difference. The food was fantastic as was expected. Definitely try some of their mango sushi and the dips – the meals are large so be prepared to roll yourself to your car after a meal. Watch how much you order, it adds up quickly.

The atmosphere is very older Park Cities mixed with the more laid-back and obviously hungover young Dallasites. The decore of Cafe R+D is delightful – modern and clean and has just the right amount of pretension.

Sadly there isn’t a happy hour here, but they are “researching” a new strategy: any alcoholic drink that comes in a regular glass is $8 and anything in a martini glass is $9. I can’t decide how I feel about that but … it is what it is.

Drink strength: 3
Overall: 4

R+D Kitchen (or Cafe R+D)
www.hillstone.com
8314 Preston Center Plaza Drive | 214-890-7900

Specials:

ALL DAY EVERY DAY | $8 all drinks, $9 martinis
Saturday & Sunday | til 4 p.m. | $4 bloody mary, mimosa, greyhounds, and screwdrivers

a capital idea

Great food? A great beer selection? Head into Capitol Pub …

We only caught the hind end of happy hour, which, as it turns out, wasn’t much of a loss. Drink “specials” wouldn’t really describe what they offer during happy hour. I can pay $4.50 a lot of places and get a stronger well than they serve. I guess yesterday I actually drank 2 of the 8 required glasses of water because water is about all that my cocktail consisted of.

The food at Capitol Pub is what one would expect from one of the people responsible for Old Monk, Idle Rich, and the like, Peter Kenny. All have great food and know how to serve it hot (mine was piping!). The pizza is pretty darn good, as is most of the menu – and all of the selections come in hearty portions. See their delightful food selections here.

There was a good number of people happy houring – most were on the enclosed porch enjoying the nice heaters and fireplace (which is always nice to gather around). The location is fantastic – we enjoyed dinner and a couple of drinks and then strolled into Veritas for a glass of vino.

I’ve always enjoyed this place because it doesn’t get too crowded on the weekends and I’ve never been disappointed with the amount of people during the week. They have darts and TVs … something for everyone. My only hangup is their meager happy hour specials. But, as I said before, head into Capitol Pub … but only if you have the capital. (not a bad pun if I do say so myself!)

Drink strength: 2.5
Overall: 4

Capitol Pub
www.capitolpubdallas.com
2401 North Henderson Avenue | (214) 887-9330

Specials:
Monday – Friday | 4-7 p.m. | $1 off all drafts, domestic bottles, and wells

Lemon Bar (Closed)

Thanks to a reader’s urging, I finally got my butt into Lemon Bar. Walking in, I was delighted to see how many people were happy houring at the newest watering hole in West Village. A few restaurants have tried this spot but none have succeeded as Lemon Bar already has seemed to do after only a few months being open.

While the specials are somewhat limited, the drinks are pretty darn great … and not too overwhelming. I had to cut happy hour short to get to dinner and I wish I didn’t have to have done so … and I would have given my left ear lobe to have whatever food’s smell was wafting from the kitchen.

The crowd is very “West Village” – in a good way – and seemed to be a fun place to meet a new friend or two. However, returning to Lemon Bar at night is a different story. People begin to trickle in for the night shift around 8:30 and bring the party. Friday and Saturday nights it’s almost impossible to move let alone get a drink.

Thanks for getting me into Lemon Bar, @tgospel!

Drink strength: 3.5
Overall: 4

Lemon Bar
www.thelemonbar.com
3699 McKinney Avenue Dallas, TX 75204 | (214) 443-6043

villa-oh my gosh, yum

This organic cafe knows how to do brunch! I’ve been known to lose track of time when at bars, but this was a brunch that lasted 3-1/2 hours. Let’s be for real, though … how could anyone turn down brunch, nay, brunch with bottomless drinks for a reasonable price? Definitely not me.

While I waited a hot 2 minutes by the front door for the host to acknowledge me, he was very friendly when he did and led me to a plush booth toward the back of the blue-and-white restaurant. This restaurant has been host to many-a work dinners and various other meals and events, and I seem to have a completely experience each time.

On a Monday they offer a free 2-course meal (full servings, no kidding) and it will only cost you the tip. Though you can get caught with this by ordering drinks and dessert, it’s still a fantastic deal. Get one sfuzzi and your night is made – it’ll get you festive.

Sundays are brilliant because you can mix-and-match. Having to choose one drink to be your bottomless choice is almost like choosing a husband … one flavor for an entire meal? No, thanks. Luckily Villa O is liberal with their choices and their portions.

The food at Villa O is very good and, as I mentioned, the portions are large so an entree can fill you up and leave you enough to take home for a midnight snack. The bread, though, is the crowning glory of this restaurant. I could be happy for the rest of my life with their bread basket and bottomless choices.

Drink strength: 3 (except for the sfuzzi which gets a 4.5!)
Overall: 4

Villa O
villaorestaurant.com
4514 Travis Street
(214) 780-1880

smoke-d

Smoke replaced Cliff Cafe not too long ago and I couldn’t wait to try it. I should have, though. The tortuous route there due to two different wrecks started our day off on a bad note and the bbq restaurant had the potential to turn things around … but didn’t.

We were greeted by a host suited in overalls, a plaid shirt, and a sport coat – a surprising combination but he owned it. We were led to a table in the back corner and had to step over AV equipment. Sitting down, the tablecloths were topped with brown paper; a cozy touch but it proved to be annoying because it got caught every time I tried to move my arm.

We were delighted to hear that there was a mimosa deal so we each ordered a glass and began our mission to have a Sunday funday kicked off with bottomless mimosas. They were strong and pretty darn good … but weren’t refilled quickly; we had to ask twice to get refills. Finally, at the end of the meal we were given a pitcher.

Now for the service and food: the menus were awesome – if you want to order family style, you fill out a scantron sheet. Sounds efficient but we somehow got a wrong side, an extra 1/2 order of ribs, and were even charged wrong in the end. Skip the beans – they tasted disgusting (the waiter even pulled a face when he tasted one). Also, don’t bother with the “fresh out of the oven” biscuits because they came out cold in the middle and the pot holding the jelly they claim to make fresh every day was empty. To top it all off … it was really expensive.

A friend actually made the comment when they started setting up the AV equipment that if the music is as good as the food we had better get out of there quickly. Bottom line: I would have been a lot happier if they just left Cliff Cafe there.

Extras: large room with a pool table, plenty of parking, great view of Dallas from the Belmont Hotel, and a hotel conveniently located next door if you have too much to drink

Drink strength: 4
Overall: 2

Specials:
Monday-Friday | 4-7 p.m. | $1.50 off all drinks
Sunday | 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. | $11 bottomless mimosas

Smoke
www.smokerestaurant.com
901 Fort Worth Avenue (beside the Belmont Hotel)
(214) 393-4141‎

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?