1.5oz Monte Alban Silver Tequila
.5oz Grand Marnier
1oz Pomegranate syrup
1oz Fresh squeezed lime juice
.50 Simple syrup
2oz Ginger Beer
Add all ingredients (except the Ginger beer) to a cocktail shaker with ice and shake vigorously.
Strain contents into a pint glass over fresh ice.
Top with Ginger beer and garnish with a lime wedge.
This, and other cocktails, are available at Hopdoddy during their Hoppy Hour. Visit hopdoddy.com to see all their HH specials!
Shake Shack will open in 2016 in the Crescent Hotel as part of their renovation!!! Uhh … hell yes.
Austin favorite Tacodeli will be opening in Dallas TODAY, October 29! Check out their deliciousness in a tortilla in the Sylvan Thirty development. Oh … and it’s BYOB.
Dallas celeb chef Tre Wilcox is moving again … in early 2016 he’ll be launching new concepts in Plano and Frisco in his event space, Tre Wilcox Cooking Concepts–think cooking classes, private parties for up to 150, corporate functions, etc. Learn more at www.trewilcox.com or call 1-844-776-8200
Lower Greenville newcomer, Rapscallion, will add brunch to its offerings Sundays from 11am-3pm! Oh … and they’ll start getting tiki tiki tumbled Sunday nights 4-10pm thanks to their new Tiki Sundays.
As of 10/13, Madrina is offering lunch. Stop in Tuesday through Friday from 11:30am to 2:30pm.
Love wine? (Duh.) Malai Kitchen is launching its newest beverage offering, wine flights! Flights will be $22 for four wines (3 oz pours).
It’s gettin’ (red) hot in here. Luscher’s Red Hots will be getting down with their new “Rush Hour” Monday through Friday from 5-7pm. Enjoy $4 select dogs, $10 Goose Island draft beer pitchers, and $2.50 local canned brews, drafts, and wines by the glass. (And all this will be happening while they play Rush. Seriously.)
La Dama Margarita at Meso Maya
If you haven’t supported enough breast cancer awareness this and that this month (which is totally a good thing to do), get your butt to Meso Maya for their La Dama Margarita (Casa Noble Tequila Blanco, muddled strawberries, watermelon puree, St. Germain, lime juice, lemon curd, Cointreau, and simple syrup).
Cost: $12
Available: October 5-31
Cantina Laredo Hatch Ritas
This just hatched over at Cantina Laredo. On the heels of the other hatch chile schtuff … they’re bringing out their Citrus-Hatch Margarita (Avión Silver Tequila infused with pepper and grapefruit, with fresh lime juice and agave nectar) and Strawberry-Hatch Margarita (Avión Silver Tequila infused with pepper and strawberries, with fresh lime juice, agave nectar and a squeeze of orange).
Cost: $12
Available: through the end of November
Cantina Laredo is also celebrating Dia de los Muertos & Halloween with the Blue Moon Pumpkin ‘Rita (Lunazul Blanco Tequila, pumpkin puree, Blue Moon beer and fresh lime juice)! Stop in for one and score it for half off!
Cost: $6 (normally $12)
Available: October 31 – November 2
Single? Paul Martin’s American Grill has your lobster. They’re serving a Mesquite Grilled Maine Lobster Tail with garlic lemon butter and green beans along with either butternut squash soup or fresh organic mixed green salad.
Cost: $39
Available: through November 4
Everyone was stoked about Austin transplant, Uchi … so it’s time to get revved-up again. The owners of Uchi will open a new concept in Dallas, Top Knot, early 2016 just above the current location. “Executive Chef Tyson Cole’s new concept marries a playful Asian-inspired menu with a full bar and a relaxed atmosphere.”
Pollo Tropicals are just popping’ up everywhere. In less than a month the’ve opened FOUR new ones … check them out in Lewisville (9/18), Cedar Hill (11/6) and in Dallas on Greenville (10/2). Each location has a grand opening party … so check ‘em out!
Rusty Taco will open in the space previously occupied by Snookie’s on Oak Lawn. I’m not sure how I feel about this … but I know that I miss Snookie’s.
Ivy Kitchen’s Patio
Ivy Kitchen is getting on the patio weather bandwagon in a big way. They’ve secured Goga (he’s seriously worth going to see) to play and they’ve revved-up their happy hour. Gaga will play the next few Tuesdays (6, 13, & 20) from 6-9pm and their happy hour will include $5 house wines and well drinks, $3 domestic bottles, $5 imports, and $5-12 food items Monday-Friday, 4-7pm.
Football makes all things better. Upscale bowling alley Pinstack knows this … so they’ve started offering “Bowl + Bite Night” during Monday Night Football! Mondays (except holidays), 4pm-close, they’ll offer guests (who are bowling) 1/2 price appetizers and $3 select draft beers.
If you joined me at Le Taco last week for my SDD Happy Hour, then you got a sneak preview of the awesomeness that is Le Taco’s new happy hour. They’ll have daily specials and drink discounts from 3-7pm. All of this is good. Specials will be as follows:
DAILY, 3-7pm: $3 margaritas, sangria, “Mexi-canned” beers, Exotico tequila shots, and wells … 1/2 price sangria pitchers, $1 off all tacos
Sunday: happy hour all day, 1/2 price champagne by the bottle, live music 12-5pm
Tuesday: $2 margaritas
Wednesday: 1/2 price wine by the bottle and pitchers of sangria
Tuesdays needed some excitement. (Actually … I’m not sure if they did or not, but Paul Martin’s American Grill thought so.) So, each Tuesday, all day, you can order a three-course fried chicken special for $22. Salad (because green things have to happen … whatever), buttermilk fried chicken with mashed potatoes, and homemade ice cream.
Speaking of chicken … late-night pizza spot Greenville Avenue Pizza Company (a.k.a. GAPCo) has been serving lunch as of late. To up the ante on their lunch offerings, they’ll now serve their (really fucking delicious) chicken wings as a combo deal–$10 for wings, fries, and a drink–from 11am-4pm week days. Now, here’s some chicken porn …
Wings from GAPCo
Flowers for Tiffany at Knife
In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Knife at The Highland will offer a cocktail that will benefit breast cancer research, Flowers For Tiffany (gin, Herbsaint, lemon, elderflower, orange blossom water, and hibiscus).
Available: through October 31
Cost: $14
Hopdoddy’s shake-ing it up again this month … their Raspberry White Chocolate Shake Special (handmade vanilla ice cream, raspberry puree, raspberry chunks, white chocolate syrup whipped cream, and raspberry sauce) is now available at the Preston Center location.
Available: until October 11 at the Preston Center location only
Cost: $6
It’s gettin’ spooky at Snuffer’s thanks to their October BOTM, the Ghost Pepper Cheeseburger (100% Fresh Ground Chuck Burger topped with two slices of ghost pepper cheese, fresh grilled jalapeños, grilled diced red onions and yellow mustard).
Available: through October 31
Cost: $8.99
Everyone loves October because people have a(n even better) reason to drink beer. Hard Rock Cafe is pairing a burger with beer … because they’re awesome. Stop in for a Samuel Adams OctoberFest Schnitzel Burger paired with their OctoberFest beer.
Available: through October 31
Octoberfest Burger at Hard Rock Cafe
Five Creeks Tavern opened on September 1 in Highland Park Village! The casual pizza shop will feature a full bar (including “cask” wines, draft beer, cocktails, and fun options like frozen bellinis available on TWO patios!
The Harwood District is doing it again … they’re opening another badass concept, Happiest Hour, which will feature 12,000+ square feet of bar goodness complete with a rooftop patio, outdoor games, and a great view of the skyline. Stay tuned for more updates about the new joint!
The people behind One Arts Plaza eatery Proof + Pantry are trying to make lightning stike (again) with their new restaurant, Madrina in Highland Park Village. The new concept will feature Mexican cuisine with a French twist from executive chef Julio Peraza.
One of Dallas’ most famous chefs, Kent Rathbun, will open an offshoot of his newest BBQ concept, Hickory, in DFW Airport. Look for it in Terminal B in late 2016.
Free things are good. Cheese Fries are good. FREE Cheese Fries are the best thing ever. Kenny’s Burger Joint in Plano is now offering a plate of Cheese Fries to patrons on Sundays!
Get brunched up at Greenville Avenue Pizza Company! So, saturdays and Sundays 11am-3pm, you can get down on the same pizza that ended the night before. They’ll offer some brunch-friendly options like the Meat & Potato Calzone (scrambled egg, potatoes, sausage, bacon, cheddar, mozzarella), Sweet Calzone (strawberry drizzle, ricotta, blueberries, raspberries), and Veggie Calzone (fried egg, mozzarella, potatoes, red onion, spinach, mushrooms). Oh … and $3.50 9oz mimosas.
Paul Martin’s American Grill is also rolling out its brunch. They’ll offer a fixed price menu for $22 from 11am-3pm on Saturdays and Sundays!
Speaking of brunch, Bread Winners will now offer 5 different $5 mimosas on MONDAYS from 7am-4pm at all four locations! I mean … that’s the right way to start a week, right?
The Travel Channel’s “Booze Traveler” is back on … which means I know what I’m doing on Monday nights! (I actually have this on right now … loving Jack’s Grecian experience!)
NEW OPENINGSAmericano will open at The Joule in the former Charlie Palmer space! It’s a brand new restaurant concept for Dallas with a 1960s Italian feel echoing the spirit of Fellini’s “La Dolce Vita”. They’re hiring, so drop them a line if you’ want to be part of the team.
So last Tuesday, District Entertainment Group brought Dallas TBD, the newest club trying to make it in the seemingly cursed Republic space on Hall. This week, they announced the September opening of Uptown Pawn, which will be almost what it sounds like … a pawn shop/restaurant/bottle service club(?), in the former Belly & Trumpet space. (Stay tuned for it to make more sense.) “The menu is focused on well-made, classic bar food like burgers and wings. The drinks menu will feature an array of beer, wine, Champagne and cocktails…”. Other features: a patio, live music on week nights, a DJ on weekends, and the ability to get drunk and shop in one place.
Hot on the heels of the hottest days of summer, a new spot to cool down dropped anchor in the Design District, Anchor Design District Pool & Bar. It’s in the DoubleTree Market Center and will feature plenty of tanning spots, cabanas, a bar, small bites, and private event space.
Oak … delicious. El Bolero … delicioso. Pakpao … อร่อย. (That says “delicious” in Thai.) The people who brought you those three concepts, with a little help from John Tesar, is going to do it again with a burger shop, The Royale, which will open in Plano next quarter! The concept will have quality burgers (duh), some seafood options, a few poutines, and some “healthy” options.
Everyone and their dog should be excited about this … a SOCAL concept, Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar, will open September 23 in Addison! The dog-friendly restaurant will have a Rocky Mountain feel that will seat 273 (interior) and 154 (patio) … and space for the pups. Stay tuned for scratch food from Executive Chef, Gabriel (Gabe) Caliendo and plenty of charity/fundraising events.
NEW PRODUCT RELEASESBeam Suntory’s Japanese whiskey brand, Hibiki, is releasing a new blend, Hibiki® Japanese Harmony. It’s a mix of more than 10 Suntory whiskies “aged in five different types of casks, from Suntory’s Yamazaki, Hakushu and Chita distilleries. This delicate blend creates a oneness unfolding a full orchestra of flavors and aromas.”
Deep Ellum hotspot Braindead Brewing is now serving brunch on Sundays from 10am to 3pm! Look for biscuits and gravy, bacon flights (uhhh yes), and, of course, beer.
Paul Martin’s American Grill, the new restaurant on Oak Lawn, is now open for lunch at 11am. “The lunch menu features $12 specials including Pork Chili Verde Enchiladas with slow roasted pork, mild chili, avocado, tomato and cucumber salad and the Grilled Salmon Sandwich with arugula, housemade tartar sauce and a fresh baked roll.”
Meat lovers … rejoice. One of my favorite Fort Worth spots, Vivo 53, now offers 50% off their Meatlovers Pizze & Bolo Spaghetti in celebration of Meat Lover Mondays.
Steel Restaurant & Lounge announced that a new chef is stepping into their kitchen. Chef Thomas A. Lengnick, Jr. (a.k.a. TJ), recently from Shinsei and less recently from Whiskey Cake, will “revamp and bring a new flair to the classic Oak Lawn restaurant, [and] you can anticipate a new menu in the coming weeks.”
Hot of the heels of its new REMIX Happy Hour announcement, the W Dallas’ Living Room Bar announced its new cocktail options including a Champagne Mojito, Polish Mule (finally), Modern Negroni, and more.
Ya know how there’s construction EVERYWHERE right now? Well, Pokey O’s and Hard Rock Cafe have decided to take full advantage and are offering construction deals!
Hard Rock Cafe is offering two cocktails–the Hammer Time Martini and the Wrecking Ball Sour–for $5.50 each, Monday-Friday, 11am to close through August 28.
Pokey O’s is offering a construction sundae Monday-Thursday, 12-5pm, for just $2 through the end of August!
Hopdoddy’s current special leave nothing to be desired! (Not that they ever really do!)
The current burger is the Green Eggs & Ham Burger (Beef Patty, Fried Egg, Salsa Verde, Sliced Prosciutto, Manchego Cheese, Onion, Tomato, Arugula Salad, Egg Bun) … I just might try that, Sam I Am.
Available: through August 23
Cost: $11
Breakfast at any meal is really a good thing … so their new milkshake special, Demi’s Cinnamon Roll Shake Special, is damn tempting. It’s handmade ice cream, cinnamon butter, cream cheese icing, cinnamon sugar, mini cinnamon roll bites, and whipped cream.
Available: through August 30
Cost: $6
Demis Cinnamon Roll
The Bread Winners Cafe & Bakery team announced that it will open its fifth location in Trophy Club in 2016! The restaurant will also feature their French Quarter-style bar concept, The Quarter Bar, along with it in the planned development which will also feature hotels, retail, and other dining options.
It’s Hatch Chile time, y’all! Check out the features around Dallas to enjoy the New Mexico chiles that are only available for a short time each year!
Hatch Cheese Fries from Snuffer’s
Hatch Chile Cheese Fries – hand-cut Idaho potatoes and topped with diced Hatch green chiles and Chihuahua cheese
It looks like August is the month of the chile, because Torchy’s Tacos and Hopdoddy are getting spicy, too!
Torchy’s Taco’s is celebrating Some Like it Hot Month with a new taco each week … and they get progressively spicier as the month burns up. (They call it #TorturebyTaco.) The FIRST of the tacos is The Barn Burner and it clocks in at 20,000 Scoville units. The last? 7 million Scoville units. Say goodbye to your taste buds.
Ghostland Burgatory from Hopdoddy
Hopdoddy Burger Bar‘s featured burger is a real scorcher, too. Their Ghostland Burgatory is Beef Patty, Ghost Peppers (Naga Bhut Jolokia), Serrano and Habañero Peppers, Pepper Jack Cheese, Caramelized Onions, Ghost Sauce, Lettuce, Tomato, and Chipotle Mayo served on an Egg Bun. (I was dared to try it on my last visit and chickened out. Not literally … I still had a beef burger.)
Available: through August 9
Cost: $12
Remix your Tuesday at the W Dallas Victory! On Tuesdays, the Living Room Bar will offer REMIX, a reverse happy hour from 7-11pm with signature cocktails, small bites, and live music for FREE.
Is partying on Tuesdays too much for you? Check out The Quarter Bar’s new Friday party, complete with 80s music and movies from 11pm-2am. Oh, and happy hour specials from 11am-7pm to get you warmed up ($2 domestics and wells, $4 select wines by the glass).
The Cedars Social is now under new ownership and management! Stop into The Cedars cocktail den to see what Jeffrey Yarbrough and Chad Boyle will do to mix up (or shake … as it were) the menu!
Lower Greenville got another new hotspot this week thanks to the opening of Rapscallion on July 7! The bistro, complete with a raw bar, wood grill and rotisserie, and a full bar with carefully crafted cocktails and a 120+ bottle wine list, is brought to L.G. by the Anderson brothers who blessed Dallas with Veritas Wine Room and Boulevardier.
Addison will see another new restaurant opening in August with the opening of Ida Claire, which will mix up some “southern classics with influences from around the globe”. Ida Claire will open at 5001 Belt Line Road for lunch, dinner, and brunch and will offer some remixed dishes like biscuit sandwiches, Front Porch Cake (sweet tea cake with honey mint buttercream and lemon meringue), and Cast Iron Okra finished with ponzu.
Paul Martin’s American Grill will open this Thursday, July 9! Dinner service will be available at the eatery located at 3848 Oak Lawn, Suite 210 with lunch and brunch offerings soon to follow. Don’t miss their cocktail and their wine list boasting 100+ wines!
Wine Poste in Bishop Arts District
Design District wine hangout, Wine Poste, opened its Bishop Arts District location June 26! Stop by and pick up a bottle of their carefully selected wines or a glass of wine to enjoy while trying out their new menu items.
The first Texas location of Matchbox Restaurant will open in Preston Hollow Village with a 8,250 square foot dining area and patio later this year. Matchbox will offer wood-fired pizzas, burgers, sandwiches, and more
My favorite spot in One Arts Plaza, Proof + Pantry, has added some new DE-lish-sounding menu items for the summer season to its lunch menu. Stop by to try the new offerings, including a Fried Oyster Roll (with celery root slaw and tartare sauce), Baked Eggs (with roasted cauliflower, ham, spinach, gruyere cream and tomato sauce), and Roasted Beets (with black plums, mixed radish and queson bores).
Yard House in Addison will add two new menu items to its menu–the Nashville Hot Chicken (a dish of skinless fried chicken with extra pepper served with sweet potato pancakes, pickles, ranch dressing and honey hot sauce) and Crispy Duck Wings (duck wings fried then tossed with a maple sambal soy glaze and toasted sesame seeds, served with an herb salad featuring cilantro, basil and mint with red onion).
Vivo 53 is offering its guests the chance to WIN FREE PIZZA FOR A YEAR! All you do to enter to win is take a picture while dining (or drinking) at the Italian eatery in Fort Worth, post it to Facebook, Twitter, and/or Instagram with the hashtag #LoveVivo53 before September 1. Buona fortuna!
Celebrate Van Gogh Espresso Vodka’s 10th birthday by winning a home cocktail party! Just take a picture of your toast to their birthday and post it to their Facebook app or get extra entries by posting pictures using the hashtag #vangoghshot before July 31!
Goose Island Tropical Bacon Burger
Since when do cows, pigs, and GEESE get along? Apparently since Hard Rock Cafe released their Goose Island Tropical Bacon Burger! (a handcrafted with a half-pound Certified Angus Beef® patty, brushed with Goose Island IPA glaze and topped with chili spiced bacon, grilled pineapple, mango salsa, chipotle puree, arugula and Cheddar cheese).
Available: through August 31
Keep the Fourth of July spirit going all month long with The All American Burger from Snuffer’s. It’s one of their juicy 100% ground chuck patties topped with Applewood-smoked bacon, cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, diced red onions, mayonnaise, and mustard and served with a side of good ole’ American chili.
Cost: $10.49
Available: through July 31
The Boardwalk Burger from Hopdoddy
Get the Coney Island feeling at Hopdoddy with their Boardwalk Burger (a juicy beef patty, split hot dog, chili con carne, cheddar cheese, sliced tomato, red leaf lettuce, diced white onion, “Sassy Sauce”, and French’s Yellow Mustard on an Egg Bun).
Cost: $11
Available: through July 12
Grey Goose is offering you the chance to win a trip to France … seriously. All you do is record the highlight of your Summer Soirée (5-15 seconds) and post to Instagram or Twitter using #SummerSoiree. It’s that easy! (A panel of judges will select the winning video.) RULES
Celebrity Cafe & Bakery is now under new ownership, will be opening additional locations, and is moving its Highland Park Village location to the Shops of Highland Park (4260 Oak Lawn Ave).
Lisa Garza | Photo by Elizabeth Lavin
Lisa’s doing it again! Sissy’s Southern Kitchen creator, Lisa Garza-Selcer, is joining forces with Patton Robertson of Five Sixty to open a new concept in Downtown Dallas (1525 Elm Street), Shelby Hall. It’ll feature “Mississippi Delta and Lowcountry, and a bourbon-heavy beverage program. The beverage program will be anchored by signature Jim Beam white and brown bourbon barrel-aged cocktails, and a curated wine and beer list.” (OMG now all I want is fried chicken.)
The Omni Dallas Hotel is making some moves. Last week they started construction on their two new concepts to join Bob’s, Texas Spice, and The Owner’s Box–Dallas favorite NY-style pizza joint, Coal Vines, and a new German-style beer garden concept, Biergarten. Both will open August 10 and will offer lunch, dinner, and brunch!
Hey, Uptowners … ready to get your neighborhood back from the congestion from the new Whole Foods development on McKinney? Good news … the 38,000 square foot Whole Foods Market Uptown will officially open August 12 at 8am!
Del Frisco’s Grille opened its 4th DFW location in Plano at The Shops at Legacy on June 21 to bring Collin County residents their creative comfort food. Stop in for lunch or dinner or join them on weekends for brunch!
Hopdoddy Black+Blue Burger
Hopdoddy’s newest special is the Black & Blue Burger (Black Angus Beef, Blue Cheese, Black Pepper Aioli, Apple Wood Bacon, Fig and Onion Marmalade, Brioche Bun). I mean … I can’t eat it because I’m allergic to blue cheese, so who’s gonna tell me how delicious it is?
Cost: $11
Available: through June 28
They’re also getting into brunch in a serious way with their Brunch Burger (Spam Patty, Swiss Cheese, Fried Egg, Avocado, Tomato, Sassy Sauce, Egg Bun).
Cost: $7, $10 with a mini brunch cocktail
Available: at McKinney Ave location only on Saturdays & Sundays from 11am-2pm (until they run out daily)
