Scenes >>

• SCENES: Ante Up
  There is a place in Dallas called Redmans—or The Redmans or Redmans Lodge or a host of other monikers—that is legendary amongst poker players. It is not terribly hard to find, should you know its general location, which we would not presume to give away here lest Dallas police read this. No,... More >>
• Best Place to Hear Poorly Played Riffs
  Guitar Center
  Though we generally prefer eBay or craigslist when it comes to purchasing our axes, we do venture to Guitar Center on Central from time to time for the little things--strings, tuners, cables, etc. Without fail we always see: A) at least one complete emo band loitering in the parking lot, B) at... More >>
• Best Dance Club
  Cowboys Red River
  Kids these days. Always listening to that goldurned rap music. Drinking their mojitos and wearing them dee-signer jeans. Getting "crunk." Back in our day, there weren't no "crunk." There was two-steppin' and Wranglers and ice-cold Lone Star. That's why we like Cowboys Red River. You could call... More >>
• Best Place to Scoot Your Boots
  The Round-Up Saloon
  For more than a quarter-century The Round-Up Saloon has been one of Dallas' premier purveyors of country and western music, dancing and good times for good folks. Although classified as a gay bar, this popular watering hole welcomes those of all genders and persuasions, and any given night will... More >>
• Best Place to Hear Mariachis
  El Ranchito
  Every night we dine at this Oak Cliff institution we're treated to the best atmosphere of any Mexican joint in Dallas, complete with a roster of the city's finest mariachis. The fervent strumming of guitars, voices raised in perfect harmony, the sound of twin trumpets ringing off the tile--it's... More >>
• Best Night Out of the City
  Denton Town Square
  Tired of Deep Ellum and Lower Greenville? Sick of getting hit up for change, paying eight bucks to park and constantly watching for muggers? Then head up Interstate 35 a piece and enjoy a night on the Denton town square, where the parking's free and the streets are considerably safer. For... More >>
• Best Place to Flag Down a Cop
  Lakewood Texaco
  If you're driving on Lower Greenville and notice you're being tailed, head for the corner of Skillman and Live Oak streets, where you'll find the Lakewood Texaco, favored on-duty pit stop of the East Dallas cops. Owners Issa and Lena Boeuri have firmly entrenched their station in the hearts of... More >>
• Best Tramp-Stamp Collecting
  Jake's Old Fashioned Hamburgers, Uptown
  One of the few good things about working near Uptown is the people-watching, and restaurant employees are no exception. Judging by the waitstaff, the interview process at the Uptown Jake's must include a visit to Tigger's tattoos--we haven't seen this many dolphins, rainbows and butterflies... More >>
• Best Music Venue for Mom
  The Granada Theater
  Some moms may go for Kenny G., but ours is way cooler than that, a veteran of more kick-ass concerts than you youngsters can even dream of. Unfortunately, Mom just can't party like she used to. Luckily for her there's the Granada Theater, booked solid with mom-friendly acts and shows that end by... More >>
• Best Way to Run a Railroad
  Trinity Railway Express
  As you pass over the traffic on Dallas' clogged freeways, lower your paper for a second and just look at them down there, sitting in their cars, spasmodically inching along as you zoom past overhead. Then thank us for telling you to take the Trinity Railway Express from Dallas to Fort Worth's... More >>
• Best Pickup Line
  The line at Eatzi's salad bar
  Dallas is famous for its abundance of surgically enhanced beauty, and most Uptown lunch spots offer plenty of reassurance that the reputation is well-deserved. But among narcissists there are also purists, those willing to spend their lunch hour at the gym in pursuit of the perfect body. So... More >>
• Best Point of View
  Top of the Dome Lounge
  It's one of those things you take for granted if you live here, sort of like the Statue of Liberty in New York or the Gateway Arch in St. Louis. The rotating bar at the top of Reunion Tower may seem like pure tourist fodder, but once you're up in The Dome, sipping one of their formidable... More >>
• Best WiFi if You Can Get It
  Murray Street Coffee
  This coffee shop in Deep Ellum makes the most of a tiny space by going upward. In the small, loft-like space, the ascending stairs split two ways, into a living room area complete with funky furniture and a conference area with a long communal table for the more professional of midday online... More >>
• Best Schizophrenic Video Show
  Zoo: The Visual Menagerie The Cavern
  It's not often a Genesis music video will be followed by some campy obscure movie clip and then lead into the Aphex Twins. Joseph Howington transcends the DJ label by taking all the rules of mixing and throwing them out the window. Perfecting his set at the Fallout Lounge last year, he fits... More >>
• Best Place That Is a Drag
  The Rose Room Theater and Lounge
  The Rose Room is simply fantastic. With more than ample space for patrons, whether sitting at a row of tables, standing at the bar or flanking the stage, this place gets it right for high-quality drag shows. It's also drag queen heaven with a huge stage and even a dressing room. According to... More >>
• Best Place to Send Raptors
  Rogers Wildlife Center
  The first time we walked into Rogers Wildlife, Kathy Rogers was slicing up frozen baby mice. Their oozing red guts made us pause for a moment, forgetting why we were there. Then she showed us what the mice were for--barn owls that someone had rescued from a deer blind, barely downy and obviously... More >>
• Best Place to Shoot Off
  Bullet Trap Inc.
  Maybe the first date is not the time to try to impress a woman with tales of your extensive gun collection (unless you're in East Texas, in which case it may win you a lot of points). Of course, you could just skip the small talk and take your date right to the Bullet Trap, where she'll whisper... More >>
• Best Place to Endure a Communal Hangover
  Gachet Coffee Lounge
  Some people wake up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed on weekend mornings, ready to start their day with a jog 'round the lake or a trip to Whole Foods for some 40-grain, organic, free-range granola. Other people have to peel themselves off a drool-covered pillow and throw back three or four... More >>
• Best Place to Get (Nearly) Naked (4 Comments)
  Massage Envy
  Sometimes, you just want to take off all your clothes and have someone rub lotion all over your body--in the middle of a workday. Before Massage Envy came along, the only way of fulfilling this basic human need was to deal with some unsavory characters over on Northwest Highway. But now, every... More >>
• Best Small Place for Big Laughs
  Backdoor Comedy Club
  Nothing incites more painful cringing than watching someone really go out on a limb, make four times the required effort and fail miserably. This is simultaneously one of the best and worst things about live stand-up comedy, depending on your propensity for schadenfreude. Comics and comedy... More >>
• Best Place to Get Horizontal
  Grassy shores of White Rock Lake
  No, not that kind of horizontal, you perv. We mean the kind of horizontal involving a picnic blanket, a sack lunch and a lazy afternoon nap in the sun. Grab your honey and stake out a spot on the east shore of White Rock Lake with a prime downtown view. Bring the dog for a little Frisbee, or... More >>
• Best Movie With a View
  B-Reel at the Belmont
  You don't exactly head to Ye Olde Cineplex for the eye candy, do you? Sure, the popcorn vendor kid isn't bad-looking, except for that weird lip piercing, but all in all, there's just not much to look at. Not so at the Belmont Hotel's "B-Reel at the Belmont" movie night out by the pool. The Oak... More >>
• Best Lonely Hearts Haven
  The Ladies Room at Café San Miguel
  Many a single gal in Texas between the ages of 15 and 50 might find comfort for the lovelorn heart in spot-on Mexican food with the girls. And copious amounts of sangria. Of course, nursing loneliness with alcohol and delicious tacos Pacifico is fine, but how 'bout some preventive measures? Say,... More >>
• Best Adventure Club
  Sunday Nights at Thomas & Leggitt Tavern
  Sunday nights aren't for Desperate Housewives and a reasonable bedtime. Granted, you probably think the good music ends when Josh Venable signs off from the Adventure Club on KDGE at 9 p.m. Not so. There are pints and Brit pop to be had with Mr. Adventure himself downtown at the Stone Street... More >>
• Best Two-Wheel Rivalry
  The Blue Goose vs. The Dubliner, Sundays
  Cruise down Lower Greenville any given Sunday and you'll hear the distinctive brrruub-brrruub-brrrrrrrruub of big bad motorcycles. And they're all headed one place: The Blue Goose. For hours, the bikes--choppers, hogs, you name it--are lined up outside the Tex-Mex restaurant as their riders... More >>
• Best Dog Park
  Bark Park Central
  All the time, we hear "White Rock Lake Dog Park this" and "White Rock Lake Dog Park that," but we never hear much about Bark Park Central. And we should. The off-leash dog park, which sits just under Central Expressway at the edge of Deep Ellum, is open 5 a.m. to midnight Tuesdays through... More >>
• Best Outdoor Fiesta (2 Comments)
  The Patio at Matt's Rancho Martinez
  A friend once said, "Well, you know it's a good patio if my mother will sit there." She went on to discuss the cool temperatures, ease of seating and the lively but not too intrusive atmosphere required to appease her high-maintenance madre. We had one in mind, but she had already begun to... More >>
• Best Place to Troll for Tail
  Lee Harvey's
  There are many bars you can go to around town if you're looking to hook up. Of course, the blaring music, exorbitant drink prices and plethora of douchebags in striped button-down shirts may make it a challenging task, but it can be done. Enter a revolution in the bar scene: a cool, cheap dive... More >>
• Best Place to Meet Hot East Dallas Soccer Moms
  Whole Foods Market on Lower Greenville
  You'll spot her dressed in expensive workout clothes as she comes in search of yogurt-covered pecans, free-range chicken and organic strawberries. She looks a little harried and more than a little forlorn. Her husband is working late while her kids are easily placated with a frozen pizza from... More >>
• Best Happy Hour
  The Old Monk
  This selection is perhaps unduly influenced by the unfortunate fact that we're reporters. Attorneys might prefer Ghost Bar; doctors drown their sorrows at Primo's. Laborers at insurance firms likely choose to forget about life for a while at any chain restaurant offering some variation of the... More >>
• Best Beer Joint (2 Comments)
  The Ginger Man
  The Ginger Man offers 77,343 different beers on draft. At least that's what it looks like when you're saddled up at the bar staring at the glorious line of taps offering visions of a beer-soaked paradise. Offering every type of beer imaginable, including those flavored with apricots and coffee,... More >>
• Best Honky-Tonk
  Adair's
  There are joints that bill bigger acts (Billy Bob's), and there are joints where ladies ride mechanical bulls (Gilley's), but nothing says honky-tonk like Adair's Saloon in Deep Ellum. It's where you go if you want to hear no-frills, stripped-to-the-bone country. It's a rough and tumblin' kind... More >>
• Best Place to Pet a Donkey
  Frisco Horse Park
  Twenty years ago, old-timers will tell you, Frisco was dirt roads and corn fields. Now it's rapidly becoming like the rest of Dallas. There remains one patch of dirt amidst all this urban sprawl where one can pet a donkey, ride a horse or simply smell the aroma of fresh manure. It's the Frisco... More >>
• Best Camping
  Cedar Hill State Park
  If you like the outdoors, you should probably move to a place where they don't allow every river to get all sullied up with beer cans and Funyons bags. But if you can't move, there are a number of woodsy options that are surprisingly close. Perhaps the best place to go camping is Cedar Hill... More >>
• Best Place to Get Your Farm On
  Heritage Farmstead Museum
  Who knew that vast herds of tongue-wagging, snot-nosed, dust-covered cattle once passed through the Big D on their way to Kansas, where they would be carved into rump roasts and rib eyes? Well, most everybody, but it's easy to forget, because other than the Dallas Cowboys and Western Warehouse,... More >>
• Best Latin Club (6 Comments)
  Escapade 2009
  The parking lot is big enough for a Six Flags. The cavernous dance hall feels like a gutted Wal-Mart. This is a club so big and so popular that it's easy to get lost here. If you love to dance but feel stupid doing it, this is the perfect place to go. No one will notice. It's tough to single out... More >>
• Best Intimate Evening
  Intimate Evening Concert Series at Bend Studio
  Be sure to wear clean socks if you're planning to attend the Intimate Evening Concert Series at Bend Studio. The place is a yoga studio by day, and you'll be asked to remove your shoes at the door. That's intimate, for sure, but being that close to the feet of 80-plus strangers is worth it.... More >>
• Best Jazz Club (2 Comments)
  Brooklyn
  Admittedly, Monday nights at Amsterdam Bar are where jazz hounds can find the best bop/fusion performances in town, but a single weekly night does not a jazz club make. In that respect, Brooklyn already deserved the nod for best jazz club at their old Bishop Arts location; regulars such as... More >>
• Best Blues Club
  Deep Ellum Blues
  We wish this was a category with fierce competition, thanks to a Dallas scene loaded with a rich tapestry of blues hands who've lived through thunder and fire, surviving to tell their tales in raspy, hard-nosed song. But this isn't Mississippi, so we'll settle for at least one club getting it... More >>
• Best Alternative Club (1 Comment)
  R.L. Griffin's Blues Palace No. 2
  If you come to R.L.'s expecting a hard shot of the blues, blame the namesake, R.L. Griffin Jr., for your moment of disappointment. Minutes later, you'll blame him and his incredible house band for a damn good time, anyway. Despite the house's name, there aren't any blues tunes at this Palace;... More >>
• Best Booking
  in a Shoebox
  The Cavern
  Spune Productions has done the impossible, turning a small club on the meat-market strip of Lower Greenville into a truly viable music venue. In fact, Spune's booking prowess has landed countless crowd-drawing indie-rock acts from Man Man to Devendra Banhart...which has become a problem. The... More >>
• Best Place to Get Unwired
  Crystal Meth Anonymous
  With crystal meth addiction reaching epidemic numbers, it's good news to learn that Dallas has its own support system to deal with the crisis. The mission of Crystal Meth Anonymous (CMA) is to offer help to those for whom crystal meth has become a serious problem. It offers regular meetings,... More >>
• Best Watering Hole With a Water Hole
  BackYard Beach Bar
  Tucked away in an anonymous nook near White Rock Lake is one of the best-kept secrets in the local saloon society. There are many reasons to recommend this casual and comfy club, but the real hook is located outside. Two pools! One is for swimming (and water volleyball) while the other features... More >>
• Best Chance to Catch a Rising Star
  Heart of Texas Speech Tournament
  Every October a collection of stellar teenage talent gathers under one roof to compete in the prestigious Heart of Texas tournament. This competition has a long and august history, making it an especially desired contest for young thespians. This invitational event has lured competitors from... More >>
• Best Divas and Domino's
  Phases
  Nestled in a low-profile strip center near Maple Avenue, this modest cabaret fairly bursts with the hottest local talent. Fancy-schmancy it isn't, but cozy and comfy it is, and the friendly staff and patrons make everyone feel wanted and welcome. Although smoking is permitted, a state-of-the-art... More >>
• Best Bar
  The Inwood Lounge
  The Youth Division around here would probably say this honor goes to Bar Belmont or the Lakewood Landing; kids, they like it hip and/or nasty and swear there's little difference anyway. But we're gonna have to agree with Esquire on this: In May, the magazine wrote of the Inwood Lounge that it... More >>
• Best Place to People-Watch
  Ghostbar W Hotel
  Actually, this category was going to be called "Best Line in Which to Wait While Staring at Douchebags You Can't Believe You Want to Pay 20 Bucks to Hang Out With But Can't Think of Anything Better to Do Than Wait in Line With Douchebags." But it was just too long. Our editor made us change it... More >>
• Best Outdoor Kids' Retreat in 110-Degree Weather
  Lake Highlands North Recreation Center
  Two words: spray park. One more word: free. Really, of all the city-owned-and-operated rec centers, this is probably the nicest joint in the inventory, with a kinda-sorta-not-really sprawling water park for the kiddies, unusually refreshing summertime breezes for the folks and a DART train... More >>
• Best Place for Wet Veggie Tales
  Hawaiian Falls
  You're saying to yourself, "Various locations? How's that possible since I haven't even heard of the place?" Well, really, there are three of these water parks scattered throughout the area: in The Colony, Garland and near Executive Airport (known to the rest of us as Red Bird Airport). So... More >>
• Best Place in Dallas
  Tending, (Blue) by James Turrell in the Nasher Sculpture Center
  How often do you get to sit in a work of art? How often do you get to escape into a room that feels absolutely, totally, unconditionally cut off from the world around you, to the point where you feel kind of lost after a while? If your answer is "never," then clearly you have not trekked to the... More >>
• Best View
  "Prayer Mountain" at Mountain Creek Community Church
  It's a peculiar place, not too far off Interstate 20 in Southwest Dallas, and few Dallasites even know it exists. You drive up the steep driveway, to the top of a hill that used to be the highest point in Dallas County (how it lost that status isn't quite clear; haven't seen any volcanoes or... More >>
• Best Tourist Attraction
  Dallas World Aquarium
  You need stats? We got stats: 85,000 gallons of "saltwater with marine life from around the world." A 22,000-gallon tunnel that allows you "to experience a panoramic view of reef life." Three webcams placed in with the manatees, otters and exotic birds. The eight-story Mundo Maya "immersion... More >>
• Best History in the Making
  Zounds-Sounds Music Instruction
  When you're a kid who just wants to rock, there is absolutely nothing worse than a guitar (or whatever instrument) instructor who wants to make you learn their favorite songs. In fact, we'd probably be crazy-skilled on the piano if we hadn't had to learn "Big Swiss Horn" and "Heart and Soul"... More >>
• Best Bar Food
  The Old Monk
  A night out at the bar. You've been knockin' back a Stella or 10 with your gang, maybe playing a little game of "Who Would You Rather?" (Ugh, Barbara Walters.) You're starting to get a little hungry. But you're smart, and you didn't drive to the bar, which means no trip to Jack in the Box for... More >>
• Best Gay Bar
  Sue Ellen's
  This longtime staple and only bar geared toward the ladies on the Cedar Springs strip ranks right up there with old faves JR's and Station 4. What sets this apart from the others is its friendly, welcoming style to anyone who walks through the door. Gay or straight, a good time is hard to miss... More >>
• Best Jukebox
  The Lakewood Landing
  Smoky dive kinda mood? You need Etta James. Worn-in C&W? George Jones and Willie Nelson. Burger and board games? Maybe some Pretenders or even Iggy Pop (hey, it's motivating). Barstool hook-up, football halftime or de-stressing happy hour. The sweet, sweet golden juke at the Landing has any mood... More >>
• Best Coffeehouse (1 Comment)
  Standard & Pours Coffee
  Go ahead, you buttoned-down, 9-to-5, bourgeois automatons, buy your coffee from The Man at Starbucks. Dig it: We free-spirited alternative types will use our java dollars to stick it to the man at Standard & Pours, a cool, locally owned shop in the basement at Southside on Lamar lofts. There, we... More >>
• Best Live Music Venue (Tie)
  Sons of Hermann Hall and Dan's Silverleaf
  The best music venues not only host shows but transform them, elevating a band or an artist to the top of their game with great sound and atmosphere. Sons of Hermann Hall and its kindred spirit in little D, Dan's Silverleaf, are two such venues. Both cater to roots-loving audiences, with... More >>
• Best Wild Game
  Poker Night at The Lodge
  If you're skeptical of all the hype surrounding professional poker these days, you're not alone. Watching other people play cards on television is about as exciting as watching them balance their checkbooks. Indeed, the whole concept of the poker face is to be as boring as humanly possible. But... More >>
• Best Place to Pick Up a Doctor
  Elbow Room
  Temporally and geographically, Dallas is not so close to the 1849 California mining rush, it being 2006 and Texas and all. But if it's gold-digging that needs doing, Dallas is definitely the "can do" city. Weekends see hundreds of poor, helpless, Gucci-unadorned boob jobs bobbing about Medici,... More >>
• Best Reason to Still Go to Deep Ellum (1 Comment)
  Darkside Lounge
  Deep Ellum: You stopped going because of the bar fights. And the teeny-bopper dance clubs. And the shady parking. But you started going again because of the Darkside Lounge. Wait, you haven't been to the Darkside Lounge? Guess that means you haven't been out to some of the best local shows,... More >>
• Best Arcade
  GameWorks
  It's not that the Dallas area is arcade-starved; you can find Golden Tee games and nostalgic cabinets at plenty of bars and restaurants. But if you want to make a day of it--immerse yourself in a digital candy land--every "amusement" destination in the region falls short, except for GameWorks.... More >>
• Best Outdoor Bar
  Monkey Bar
  When the XPO Lounge closed in 2004, loyalists scoffed at plans for the bar's future: "It's becoming a [insert obscenity of choice] tiki bar?!" The loyalists (and former staff) found new watering holes, leaving the bar behind for what they assumed would become a schmaltzy, preppy destination, but... More >>
• Best Rock Bar
  Club Dada
  At the end of 2005, Club Dada was down for the count, knocked out by bumbling ownership and deemed another tombstone in the dwindling reputation of Deep Ellum. So how come it's winning this award and hosting big-name gigs (such as June's New Bohemians reunion) not even 12 months later? Because... More >>