pet friendly | SusieDrinks

A spring day in Texas begs for a refreshing drink on a patio with big sunglasses. My friend and I had a free afternoon and decided to find an early happy hour – State and Allen was our choice. We chose it because they have an amazing selection of food, an extended happy hour, and a great patio. The early happy hour allowed us to escape just before the suits hit the watering hole after work.

We immediately ordered vodka lemonades which we sadly had to add Splenda and
lemons to; the vodka, however, was generously poured. Our waitress brought us drink after drink and plate of food after plate of food (not quickly, but she got the job done). After much ado, we decided on tenderloin sliders and BBQ pizza – both were incredible.

The wrap-around patio provided a great showcase for watching the creatures of the State and Thomas area – both people and animals. Speaking of, their patio is pet friendly and there are some really cute mutts. The wait staff with even bring a water bowl for them!

With the 80s rock music and the lemonade vodkas flowing, we greatly enjoyed our time at State and Allen.

Drink strength: 4
Overall: 4

State & Allen Lounge‎
stateandallen.com
2400 Allen Street | (214) 239-1994‎

This is one place that I would happily drive through a rough neighborhood to get to. Smack dab in the middle of nowhere south of Dallas, Lee Harvey’s is a neighborhood bar that everyone wants to call his own. You can smell the fires blazing from three blocks away – it’s definitely one of my favorite smells so I let the wafting scent beam me in.

Picnic tables are spread all over the front yard of the bar guaranteeing that you will never have to stand around at Lee Harvey’s – and it’s a darn good thing because you can’t eat a burger and drink a beer while standing up! The crowd is SO varied; South Dallas residents, Deep Ellum dwellers, older gentlemen who you can tell have been regulars for years, and the young Dallasites are peppered throughout the bar or outside enjoying the crackling fire and live music.

We were there for birthday drinks on a Tuesday and were delighted to find that there were half price burgers and happy hour drinks all night. The kitchen closed at 10 so we all placed our orders and grabbed a drink to wait in suspense for our viictuals. I almost had a heart attack each time I saw a server walk out with a mitt-full of burgers and fries hoping it was my plate of a medium plus burger with jack cheese and 1/2 and 1/2 fries and onion rings. Long story short: the burger was excellent and the basil aioli was superbly refreshing teamed with my vodka waters. Take your own smore stuff, though – they are trying to charge $15 for a bag of fixins!

The bar itself has some serious character. Old beer backlit ads hang around reminding you of every dive bar you’ve seen in movies. The bartenders are very friendly and eager to serve you or provide you with a suggestion for what to drink. Don’t bet on a seat inside; there aren’t many booths or barstools and the ones that are there are all but duct taped together.

Take a group of friends and spend some time getting to know South Dallas with the locals – you’ll be glad you’ve found a new watering hole despite the long (and somewhat scary) drive there.

Lee Harvey’s
www.leeharveys.com
1807 Gould Street | (214) 428-1555

Monday-Friday | 3-7 p.m. | $2.50 wells and domestic bottles