Tag Archives: Henderson

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

Louie’s

So many people have emailed asking me to review Louie’s … but bad news: Louie’s doesn’t have drink specials, so it’s not completely in my wheelhouse. Sorry!

Their pizza, drink strength, and people watching is great, though.

Make sure you have cash or an AMEX on you, it’s all they take. Don’t get mushrooms on your pizza; they’re fresh, not cooked. Also, know what you want and don’t put the wait staff out too much; they’re cranky.

Louie’s
1839 North Henderson Avenue | (214) 826-0505‎

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

in vino veritas

Move over Vino 100, take a step back, Cork … there’s a new kid in town. Veritas Wine Bar on Henderson took me by surprise. I hadn’t been in until this week and walking in on Monday night was a breathe of albeit grape heavy, but fresh air.

I arrive before the rest of my party as is usually the case, so I sidled up to the tall, heavy bar and began to peruse the menu. I decided to take a mental break and went for “what we’re pouring”. It was delightful and I decided it was my choice for the night — not to mention the fact that it was only $3.25 since it was half price wine by the glass (and that is made even better because they use the long pour!).

My group arrived and we settled into the front room next to the (real) crackling fire. Wine flowed, cheese and meats were noshed on, and great conversation ensued. The waitresses were attentive and Brooks, the owner, knew his cheeses and other wares better than the back of his hand. (You can’t go wrong with their Purple Haze or Drunken Goat.)

Don’t be fooled by the name, this bar unlike most wine bars also serves beer. I’d say this place is suitable for a date or a friendly chat, but not for a pickup scene … take your butt next door to Glo Lounge for that.

Click for the cheese, beer, and wine menus.

Selection: 4

Veritas Wine Bar
2323 N Henderson Ave, Suite 103 | Dallas, TX 75206
(214) 841-9463

Specials:
Monday | all day | 1/2 price wine by the glass
Tuesday-Friday | 4-7 p.m. | $1 off every beer, $1 off of every glass of wine ($8 a glass or less) and $2 off every glass over $8

Tuesdays, Veritas brings in Il Cane Rosso to make baked-to-order pizza. A definite MUST.

urbino

My new favourite bartender, Bill, sent me over to one of the places he serves his potions. Sadly he wasn’t there, but the drinks were still pretty darn good. We started with frozen limoncello which reminded me of a drink from childhood but with alcohol – it was tres refreshing.

Allison and I had a couple well drinks and a blanco pizza (YUM!) but were sadly forced to cut the night short. It was really too darn bad because the ambiance was incredibly relaxing with music was wafting from The Hacienda on Henderson and perfectly crisp air.

This would be a great place to start the night with friends because the patio has large tables and the pizza was easy to share and way too easy to eat more than you should!

Drink strength: 4

Price: 2

Urbino Pizza e Pasta
www.urbinopizza.com | @urbinopizza
2323 N Henderson Ave
Dallas, TX 75206
(214) 821-0044

Specials:
Monday | $3 wells
Tuesday | $2 drafts

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

Victor Tangos

Did you know that, during Prohibition, vodka tonics were called “Victor Tangos” to ensure stealth when referring to the drink? Well, that’s the line the charismatic host, Greg Katz, fed us and immediately followed it with a letdown: vodka didn’t make its way into mainstream American culture until the 1950s (fact for the day) … it was a great story, but it’s really too darn bad that this isn’t true because that would have been a great reason to dub a bar Victor Tangos.

Barring the completely boring origin of the name, the bar has much to offer. For all you New York transplants (i.e. my boss), it did remind me quite a bit of The Volstead to which my expert in The City, Sam, took me. … for the rest of us it’s a great peek into the New York bar scene.

While the tastiness of the drinks and food cause you to overorder (and overeat!), it’s well worth it. Their signature drinks are stellar: the Pepper Smash, Moscow Mule, and the Lightening Bug. Their drinks are on the higher end of the happy hour price scale but are strong enough to make it worth it. The chicken and waffles (to the right) just won the best chicken and waffles in Dallas from D Magazine … and they are. Overall, great place for a couple drinks and dinner after work and an incredibly fun place to go on the weekends. There is a good mix of (beautiful) people there and it’s quite loud in there so you’re always sure to find someone to talk to, even if it is one of the bartenders (which I’d recommend because they are quite cheeky and fun).

Victor Tangos
www.victortangos.com
3001 N Henderson Ave | (214) 252-8595

Specials:
Monday | all day | $2 off all drinks
Tuesday-Friday | 5-7 p.m. | $2 off drinks

SusieDrinks

Drink well. Travel often.