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…
Does the the lack of rare mushroom-based events really ruffle your feathers? Or should we say, truffle your feathers. Not to worry, our fungi-loving friends, for Kevin Ascolese, chef at Princi Italia, has created three Alba truffle delivery systems in the form of wood fire chanterelle flatbread, tortellini fonduta and…
A little love, a lot of generosity and an offer of free beer later, and Garland has its very own home-grown brewpub downtown. Intrinsic Smokehouse & Brewery had its grand opening Saturday, to the delight of craft beer fans who kicked in $30,000 through a crowd-funding campaign to help get…
There’s something about this time of year that makes a well crafted cocktail feel like a special occasion. It’s something like a present you can buy for yourself and not feel like you’re being too selfish about things. Even better when that drink is warming, not just because of brandy…
The Four Seasons’ Cafe on the Green has two events this weekend. The first, Mixology Mistletoe and Merriment, is a holiday-themed class that will teach participants how to egg a nog, put some cheer in their punch and make cocktails that smack of Santa’s tears. The second event is a…
Midnight Rambler is decidedly one of the best (if not the best) places to spend all your cash on excellent cocktails in Dallas. The bar program Chad Solomon and Christy Pope have cultivated is sophisticated, interesting and constantly changing. The drink you liked from Midnight Rambler six months ago probably…
If you’ve been to Remedy, the refined comfort food spot on Lower Greenville, you have definitely sipped one of barman Máté Hartai’s delicately balanced cocktails. The drink program here centers around the idea of the “American soda fountain,” and Hartai adds plenty of booze, enthusiasm, and sophistication to that classic…
Four Bullets bills itself as the “smallest brewery in Dallas,” and it’s easy to miss. Located in an older building close to a DART rail line near Arapaho Road and Central Expressway, Four Bullets feels like a garage someone’s uncle converted into his home-brewing man-cave. It has an assortment of furniture…
Pop-up restaurants have been a delectable trend for the last couple of years, one that’s still going strong with foodies, unlike some other disastrous trends we could name. (We’re looking at you, Cro-Nut.) They’re a great way to support a charitable cause or sample the work of a visiting chef,…
