When Goodfriend Beer Garden owners Matt Tobin and Josh Yingling opened the Blind Butcher with Chef Oliver Sitrin, they created a meat-lover’s paradise inside a simple but classic old school Greenville Avenue barroom. The space has the feel of a prohibition-era saloon but also offers neighborhood warmth. Inside the Blind Butcher,…
When the Slip Inn off Henderson Avenue closed, it definitely came as a surprise to the masses. The fact that this neighborhood dive would be missed was no surprise. For 15 years, the Slip Inn’s dance floor bested any other club in town. But when the turntables went silent, there was…
Mardi Gras: It’s happening. And as we slowly emerge from what little winter this has been, we’ve already noticed an early onslaught of crawfish boil announcements. Can it possible be true? Oh, but it is, and it’s a cause for crustacean celebration. Typically the hearty harvests come later in the…
This time of year we see plenty of holiday seasonal releases — Mardi Gras bocks, lovey dovey white chocolate porters and I’m sure there’s an MLK Day beer out there somewhere. Maybe. But Granbury’s Revolver Brewing has a new limited draft release celebrating a holiday that seems to be getting…
Girl Scout cookies and craft beer: a pairing so indulgent, it’s sure to make even the most lenient dietitian cringe. This year, LUCK will pair Thin Mints with Shannon Brewing Company’s Chocolate Stout; Samoas with Rahr’s Angry Goat Weizen Dopplebock; Do-si-dos with Texas Ale Project’s Somethin Shady Porter; and Lemonades…
Often I get asked, “Where’s some Louisiana-style food?” My go-to answer has become very simple; there seems to be Cajun-themed restaurants hording every corner of Greenville Avenue. Starting from Shuck n’ Jive on upper Greenville Avenue to the Big Shucks off Mockingbird and its little sister, Aw Shucks across from…
Oak Cliff’s favorite brewpub/place to eat curious bar snacks has announced today that they’re closing on Sundays and Mondays to ramp up beer production. This isn’t too big of a change-up considering that Small Brewpub stopped opening on Sundays about six months ago, Head Brewer Aaron Garcia said, but they decided to close…
Like a phoenix, Dallas Beer Kitchen has quickly and dramatically risen out of the ashes. It closed forever on January 24, citing an inability to make money while construction tore up its stretch of Greenville Avenue. And, having closed forever, the bar reopened on Friday, January 29. In the intervening…
Ah, Valentine’s Day: The holiday nobody asked for, invented by poet Geoffrey Chaucer in honor of a priest who was beheaded in Rome, not some chubby flying child brandishing a deadly weapon. Not only is St. Valentine known to carry the afterlife duty of watching over loved ones, he is…
Now is the time to make a dent in your “Bottled Beers To Try” list. Sundown at Granada is celebrating their 4th anniversary by discounting all 40 of their bottled beers to $1. And if dollar beer isn’t enough of a loss-leader, Granada will offer half-priced salads to boot. So…
Some people give cheese- or wine-of-the-month club memberships, but to give your beer-drinking friends a gift they actually want, a new of-the-month club has answered the call. Launched last November out of The Woodlands, the Texas Craft Beer Club is sending Texas craft beer out across the state to members who…
From the magical city that brought you humidity, Beyonce and the (now defunct) Aeros comes three beers: Cali Green IPA, Cortado and Pussy Wagon IPA. This trifecta of craft brewing goodness comes courtesy of Houston’s Brash Brewing Co. Try all three at the Addison location of Flying Saucer, where these…
The word “tavern” might conjure up images of a dark and seedy place, funky with the scent of Camels and spilled beer, where the jukebox hasn’t changed since 1980. A hotel bar, on the other hand, can be a spiritless space, filled with itinerant drinkers with little connection to the…
It’s hard enough to open one restaurant and not fail within the first year, but Steve Shin and Greg and Sandy Bussey, owners of bbbop Seoul Kitchen, have rolled the dice in Oak Cliff to keep the momentum going for their blossoming Korean food chain. The original location opened in…
At the corner of Davis Street and Bishop Avenue was once a botanica that sold herbs and roots, magical oils, religious candles and other items to ward off evil spirits. The vintage 1930s building is now a new neighborhood joint where you can devour a sandwich, guzzle beer and knock…
New Year’s Eve is right around the corner, and most people will be clinking a glass of Champagne as the clock strikes midnight. Or so they think. Most people are not actually drinking Champagne — the wine must be from the Champagne region of France to earn that title. Anyone getting…
The famous (and perpetually disgruntled) 19th century poet Charles Baudelaire once said, “With wine, with poetry or with virtue, as you choose. But get drunk.” We’re taking him at his word and skipping straight to the wine. Here’s where to get started and make the ghost of Baudelaire happy. 1…
If you’re doing last minute Christmas shopping for a wine lover, here are some affordable ideas that will make their lives a little easier when it comes to wine. In case you’re not convinced, I’ve included my own personal anecdotes as to why these things are not only great, but…
This year, gift your booze-loving friends more sophisticated presents than just a handle of Tito’s and a six-pack of Tecate. (Although, to be honest, they’d probably still love to get those.) Here are 10 cool gifts to please all of the boozehounds on your list, from the tipsy tailgater to…
One of the first things you learn when you’re learning about wine is to never order the cheapest bottle on a restaurant’s wine list. It’s a trap, a bottle of bad juice meant to insult the taste buds of the kind of customer who deliberately buys the least-expensive thing. Or…
Dallas is the booziest city in America. We spend more of our income on drinking than any other city, and it’s not just our thriving craft beer and cocktail scenes that are keeping the locals happy. Local restaurants have developed deep, interesting and affordable wine lists to pair with the…
Shopping for wine can be an intimidating experience. Since wine is predominantly available in 750ml formats and can sometimes involve a large investment, the risk is higher than purchasing other alcohol. The Observer talked to the experts at Central Market about shopping for wine, and they provided insight on how…
