Tag Archives: brunch

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)

cuba libre

Truth be told, my group was set on Vickery Park for brunch. Since the wait was going to take quite a while, we took a walk down the street and ducked into Cuba Libre to check out their drink specials. DING DING DING, WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER … $5 bottomless mimosas and bellinis and $5 bloody marys AND their patio is dog friendly (my best friend’s dog, Leo, tagged along for brunch).

We gathered around the table and our waiter took our drink orders (though we could tell the idea of alcohol made him shudder from his activities the night before). There were so many tempting options on the menu for food we had trouble picking so we made some snap decisions, laid back, and sipped our drinks.

The bellini is frozen and very sweet, one was enough so it was great that they let us switch between the bellinis and mimosas with our bottomless deal. The first round of bloody marys were had to stomach. They weren’t very strong and they tasted quite terrible actually. When the manager came around to check on us, I let him know how I felt about the bloody mary and he apologized. Two minutes later we saw him run across the street and come back with a bottle of bloody mary mix – what a champ. Needless to say, round two was much better!

In the future, I’d say that you can’t go wrong with the steak and egg tacos and their delightful blood orange mimosa. That’s what I’ll be having on my next brunch trip!

Cuba Libre
www.cubalibredallas.com
2822 N Henderson Ave | Dallas, TX 75206
(214)827-2820

Taverna

The Lombardis know how to do brunch. $1 mimosas and bellinis can’t miss – but the food at Taverna makes the brunch that much better.

When I arrived, I was waiting on the rest of my 6-person party that was in from Pittsburgh. The waiter showed me to my table and entertained me until they showed … with one extra. “NO PROBLEM!” Another seat appeared without much drama. Five minutes later, another surprise guest. “NO PROBLEM!” Another seat appeared and all that was missing was a water.

As I mentioned, the food was great. The crab eggs benedict were (according to one of my dining companions), “The best I’ve ever had west of Pittsburgh!” There’s a compliment if I’ve ever heard one. I had the breakfast calzone and it was great, but make sure you split it because it’s HUGE.

The drinks, superb and quickly replenished … though I would say a big of creme de cassis would have made them a bit better. Pay attention to the small print; the drinks are only $1 if you get an entree.

Taverna was a great place for brunch – as all the Lombardi restaurants are!

Taverna
www.tavernabylombardi.com
3210 Armstrong Ave | Dallas, TX 75205-4131
(214) 520-9933
You can visit a Taverna in Dallas, Fort Worth, and Austin.

Specials:
Saturday and Sunday | 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. | $1 bellinis or mimosas with purchase of an entree

Blue Goose

Since I first moved to Dallas, I heard rumors of the Blue Goose margarita … and they are all true. Sunday brunch at Blue Goose was sprinkled with families and hungover “adults” enojoying their hair of the dog. My personal hair of the dog on this particular day was none other than my favorite drink: the bloody mary. The boys partook in the margaritas (and numerous ones at that!).

This was no ordinary bloody mary … no sir. This was a bloody mary crafted by hands that know my every wish and desire for the drink: thick and spicy with a hint of lime. Wondering who the master mixologist was? I’ll let you in on a secret: Blue Goose let’s you make your own. The bloody mary spread is complete with five kinds of bases and even offers olives and shrimp (which I don’t recommend!).

The food came in huge, delicious portions and I definitely recommend the queso con todo – I’m a sucker for a taco shell. My only complaint was that our waiter wasn’t Johnny on the spot; though the rest of the morning was delightful.

Blue Goose Cantina
www.bluegoosecantina.com
2905 Greenville Ave
Dallas, TX 75206-6240
(214) 823-6786

Nick & Sam’s Grill

I had high hopes for Nick & Sam’s Grill when I woke up Sunday morning; I went for a jog, did my laundry, and even took it easy Saturday night so I could enjoy my experience to the fullest and really sate my gluttony … and I’m so glad I did.

Upon walking into the modernly decorated restaurant (formerly Strong’s), we saw many familiar faces that were already seated enjoying the food and drink (and some beautiful faces I didn’t know but would have liked to!) – they recommended the omelette station (apparently it was the first day they had it available). It was a perfectly sunny day, ideal for enjoying a brunch on the patio. The beautifully-mixed blood orange (bottomless) mimosa hit the spot while waiting for our table.

Once seated, Olivia and I ordered our choices with much difficulty – everything on the menu sounded fantastic – and noshed on the sticky breads, pain au chocolate, and croissants while sipping our mimosas. The wait staff was on top of things to say the least. They eagerly stood by to fill our glasses back to the top and were quick to offer advice or a funny remark. I ordered a spicy bloody mary to accompany my meal and it was delightful – honestly the best I’ve had in Dallas.

Our food was out in a snap: Asian chicken salad, breakfast quesadilla, and the best grilled cheese and tomato soup I’ve had in ages – I definitely recommend! This was not your mama’s grilled cheese; the secret ingredient: pear. Brilliant. The bloody mary was the perfect complement to the sandwich.

The meal was a delight and I strongly recommend visiting … just make sure your stomach and the night ahead of you are empty!

Nick & Sam’s Grill
2816 Fairmount St
Dallas, TX 75201
(214) 303-1880

Specials:
Tuesday – Friday | free appetizers at the bar (while there are no drink specials, they make up for it with other perks!)
Saturday & Sunday | bottomless mimosas $6

Penne Pomodoro

Another Sunday, another brunch … and Penne Pomodoro’s rivals the best of them. $1 Bloody Marys, bellinis, and mimosas start any Sunday Funday off the right way!

Many weekend mornings I hear the perverbial siren call of the Bloody Marys at P.P. and never regret answering that call — at least not until I’m immobile from the “fun” at 3 p.m. The strength of the drinks lures me back time after time even though I don’t like Italian food (which I feel says a lot!). If you get the mimosa they will actually bring the bottle of champagne to your table to refill; you usually end up with a glass of champagne with just a touch of orange juice by the end of the meal. The bellinis are delightful frozen masterpieces that cause brain freezes from drinking too heartily.

Sadly, the service isn’t great unless you can find a way to get the older gentleman with the glasses as your waiter (I had to get up to get my own water this past week). The wait staff for the most part is nice, and I always seem to be jealous of whatever adorable outfit the girl at the front is wearing.

Basically, P.P. holds a special place in my heart … especially since it’s close enough for me to walk home after the copious strong and cheap drinks!

Penne Pomodoro
www.pennepomodoro.com

SPECIALS:

Snider Plaza
Saturday and Sunday | brunch | $1.00 Bellinis, Mimosas and Bloody Marys with purchase of entrée

HULLY & MO

Scene 1: A bedroom.
{Light up as sun shines through a curtained window. Zoom in on clock beside bed; 11am on Sunday. Pan to reveal a hungover Susie waking up. Dazed, she looks around her room, fluffs her pillow, and initiates Operation: Brunch. Her iPhone clicks along as texts are sent and a destination chosen. She gets out of bed and dresses.}

Scene 2: Hully and Mo.
The large, heavy doors with hockey stick handles set the mood of a rugged sports bar. Inside, plush booths and a shiny bar give it a relaxed, chic feel and make a hangover brunch at the brainchild of Mike Modano and Brett Hull ideal. This particular day a Rangers game was on and the multiple flat screen TVs gave everyone in the party an unobstructed view.

The multiple spicy (and pleasantly potent) bloody marys and bottomless mimosas washed down our breakfast/brunch/lunch choices perfectly while lubricating the conversation. While I think we scared our waitress a little, she served us with a smile and took our jokes with a grain of salt and never let our drinks touch the bottom.

Overall, their patio is a great place to spend a Sunday brunch (even if it was empty) or have a drink before walking across the street to GingerMan. What more could a man want from a sports bar more than good food, good drinks, plenty of TVs, and cute girls? … I’d say not much.

Hully and Mo: Restaurant & Tap Room
2800 Routh Street, Ste. 115
Dallas, TX 75201
(214) 954-0203
www.hullyandmo.com/

Specials:
Monday-Friday | 4pm-7pm $2 off cocktails and wine, $2.50 domestic bottles, $3.50 imports, $5 appetizers
Saturday | 11am-4pm | $2 off cocktails and wine, $2.50 domestic bottles, $3.50 imports, $5 appetizers
Sunday | 11am-3pm | $3 bloody marys, $8 bottomless mimosas

Sangria

The drink sangria comes in many forms: blended, straight up, sparkling, white, red, loaded with fruit, dry … but whomever decided that Sangria the tapas restaurant should exsist is straight up a genius. The drinks are strong enough to make the night worth the somewhat expensive bill that is sure to come from too many orders of mushroom croquettes and pitchers upon pitchers of white, red, or sparkling sangria (all of which are amazing, but the sparkling takes the cake).

Late night inexpensive martinis and cosmopolitains are a little-known feature of this personable restaurant. Your exotic, curly-mopped waiter will hop-to-it and get your drinks to you quickly leaving your with another glass of heaven and a suggestive smile. You can find all types here; there are the young SMU kids out for their splurge dinner of the week sitting next to a table of young professionals next to a cute couple on a date.

Sangria Tapas Y Bar
www.sangriatapasybar.com
4524 Cole Ave Dallas, TX 75205-4129
(214) 520-4863

SPECIALS:
Monday – Friday 4 p.m.-7 p.m. | $3.00 Happy Hour on Selected Tapas & Drinks (Well drinks, House Wine, Sangrias, Martini of the Day)
Monday – Thursdsay 10 p.m.-11 p.m. & Friday – Saturday 10 p.m.-12 a.m. | $3.00 Happy Hour on Selected Tapas & Drinks (Well drinks, House Wine, Sangrias, Martini of the Day)
Monday | ½ Price Sangria Night (Pitchers Only)
Tuesday | ½ Price Bottle Wine Night
Wednesday | International Night with DJ Tony starting at 8:30pm with Tapas & Drink Specials
Thursday | Tour of Spain: Different Regional Tapas & Wine Specials of Spain Each Week
Friday Late Night | DJ Tony 10:00 pm with Reverse Happy Hour
Saturday Late Night: DJ Tony starting at 10:00 pm with Reverse Happy Hour
Saturday & Sunday Brunch $6.00 Bottomless Sangrias & Agua Valenciana (Spanish Mimosa)

SusieDrinks

Drink well. Travel often.