For the past several months, I have been deliberately avoiding vodka-based cocktails. I’ve had a few great ones, like the Why The Long Face at Henderson Avenue Country Club, but for the most part, good bartenders seem to be ignoring vodka in favor of other, more interesting spirits. And who…
When I interviewed Michael Peticolas about proposed beer legislation last week, the brewer mentioned he was nosing a special beer. Dubbed Operation Collaboration, the brew is a collaborative effort between Peticolas and Chuck Silva of Green Flash brewing Co. in San Diego. First and most importantly, the beer is available…
The talk around North Texas used to be of what new breweries are opening this month. Now it’s all about what local breweries are building and expanding and by how much, and how far ahead of their growth curves and expectations they find themselves. Lakewood Brewing held a ribbon-cutting ceremony…
Follow the Cheap Bastard as she scours the city, looking for a good — or at least non-lethal — lunch for less than 10 bucks. “I’m sorry — you can’t drink that in here, sir.” Register Girl runs from behind the counter to stop Already Chugging the Craft Beer She…
Texas Rep. Senfronia Thompson filed legislation this week that proposed new limitations on craft breweries that operate in Texas. Specifically, her bill seeks to limit the amount of beer small breweries can self-distribute to 5,000 barrels a year. The current limit is 40,000 barrels. Texas Brewers were quick to cry…
My very first introduction to pisco, the traditional Peruvian spirit, was at a New York ceviche bar. Our Peruvian server had conned my entire table of already-buzzed idiots into taking a shot of pisco, straight up. If you’ve ever tried pisco, you know that taking shots of this spirit, which…
After a full month open and serving other brewers’ beers, and after postponing a scheduled celebration due to Mother Nature, On Rotation finally found a mild and pleasant day recently for a grand opening and the debut of its house brews. With roll-up doors thrown wide to enjoy the seasonal…
When I first saw the billboard for Gatsby downtown, I thought it was an advertisement for a new show on the CW. I was wrong: It’s actually a new downtown Dallas nightclub opening in the space that was formerly occupied by Plush. As eyeroll-inducing as the idea of a Gatsby-themed…
Sunrise Asian Cuisine is a great restaurant to eat cheap sushi, but it’s even better as a restaurant to test your dining companion’s character. An uptight, square person will be alarmed by things they may have heard while dining at Sunrise Asian Cuisine, such as “We’ve lost our liquor license” or…
Sometimes, I drink things that contain no alcohol at all. These occurrences are relatively rare, but it is important that I not be entirely tanked for my regular 10 a.m. conference call. One cannot survive on gin alone, which means that zero-proof libations are an absolutely essential part of our…
Rex’s Seafood is spreading its fins, filling the streets of DFW with the smell of freshly steamed seafood and placing Dallas under siege by lobster roll. The Dallas Farmers Market will be the site for one location. Rex’s will plate up sandwiches and other casual fare amongst the tamales, roasted…
When watching soccer, it’s typically a fine idea to have a pint or two in hand, and it’s best to do it at one of DFW’s many European-style pubs. For the most part, these pubs are open early on Saturday and Sunday mornings, sometimes as early as 7, to accommodate…
As someone who grew up going to steakhouses with floors littered with peanut shells and decorated with old license plates, I appreciate the simplicity and straightforwardness of a place like Dunston’s Steakhouse. The steaks are prime, the walls are unfinished, and the atmosphere is like a fancier Golden Corral, complete…
Nine Band Brewery in Allen opened its taproom doors for the first time over the weekend, because people in Allen deserve to slug high-ABV beers under the auspices of locavorism, too, OK? Large, handmade wooden tables and stools fill the room, and a number of TVs line each wall. Open…
Even though I can’t generally afford to drop 30 bucks on a bowl of pasta at Proof + Pantry, I do find myself occasionally wandering into the restaurant in the late afternoon hours. Between lunch and dinner service, Proof + Pantry closes the kitchen but keeps the bar open for…
I have a long and sordid history with lemonade and vodka as a drinker. This classic combination has gotten me through countless college parties, New Year’s Eves and other festive occasions. But I’ve been trying to drink better. I’ve stopped ordering vodka-cranberries at the bar, and I haven’t had any…
You may (or may not!) remember Club Schmitz. Everyone was talking about, blogging about and drinking inside the friendly dive last year as it served its last beers. Now, it’s all but forgotten. See also: Club Schmitz, One of Dallas’ Best True Dive Bars, Could Get Gobbled by RaceTrac I…
Vodka cocktails typically aren’t very nuanced. They’re poured from a well or an overpriced bottle of Grey Goose, then watered down with a squirt of cranberry juice or soda from those disgusting behind-the-bar guns. There is really no sense in making vodka more complicated than it has to be –…
When you’re drinking at a place like Midnight Rambler, you have to make it count. I wandered into the speakeasy-style bar in the basement of the Joule Hotel after dinner with friends, knowing that I was the fool who would soon be parting with her money. It’s hard to find…
On Rotation, a new taproom and brewery opened next to Lakewood’s Cane Rosso, opened over the weekend. The self-described craft beer laboratory didn’t have any house brews to offer, but their computer controlled brewing system was on display behind a large glass door. Boiling and fermentations tanks sat at the…
When Ashley North Compton isn’t busy as a graphic designer or psychology graduate student, she is making homemade bitters and herbal infusions in her Marfa home. Compton’s interest in homemade bitters and infusions is really a secret cover for her love of herbs. “Herbs have really amazing restorative properties and…
The interior of Clark Food & Wine does not appeal to my bohemian sensibilities. It is too clean, too organized, and a place that I am likely to get kicked out of for swearing too loudly after several cocktails. Bars, in my estimation, are not intended to be neat and…
