If you’ve ever been to the Cane Rosso in Lakewood, you’ve probably seen a few parents losing their mind as children run free, and turn the front area/patio into a playground. Or just ignoring them entirely. For those of us that do not have children, the scene can be overwhelming…
If the Dallas bar and restaurant industry has one attribute that stands out, it’s a sense of community. If a chef, cook, waiter, bartender or any other service worker is met with an unforeseen challenge in this town, he or she will have a whole city’s worth of restaurant employees…
About half of a bar’s atmosphere lies in the hands of the people who choose to occupy it. At the Drunken Donkey, to give you an idea, I overheard a woman at nearby table ask for “one regular beer.” When the waitress tepidly asked for a bit more specificity, the…
What time is it? It’s time for hops if you’re listening to that bad-ass can pictured above: Big, bold, bitter hops, with those floral, fruity notions pushed to the wayside. Meet Community Brewing’s Sundial, the end all, be all summer beer for hopheads who don’t want to feel like they…
You may, genetic makeup depending, occasionally find yourself with the need to entertain large groups of friends, from the office or otherwise. You could invite everyone over to your place, but then someone might hang out longer than you want them to. You could drop in at any old bar, but…
Gin isn’t the most popular spirit in the world, least of all Dallas. But more and more people are ditching vodka in favor of this botanically-flavored spirit, which means more interesting gin cocktails for the rest of us. Across Dallas, you can find one million boring juice-and-gin drinks, and that’s…
According to the calendar it’s summer time, and soon the celestial bodies will agree. The shelves at your favorite beer-buying store have followed suit, spilling over with light-drinking citrusy things. If only the weather would play along. Lucky for you, Lakewood Brewing has figured out how to bottle up sunshine, and…
Venturing into Uptown is a risky proposition for someone approaching 30, particularly as a reminder of how far you are from 22. On the other hand, several Uptown bars have large, excellent beer selections, including The Social House, which loves to remind you that they have 100 beers on tap. And,…
Generally, we’re down with celebrating beer (or any other booze, for that matter) any day of the week. This weekend, though, is special — it’s the end of American Craft Beer Week, which means that it is totally acceptable to drink copious amounts of beer, so long as they’re made…
Sugar can present itself in different ways in different beers. Sometimes it’s overt, as is the case with several local beers that are brewed with honey — Four Corner’s Local Buzz carries a subtle, palate forward sweetness, while Revolver’s Blood and Honey could make Winnie the Pooh’s tummy grumble. Other…
For whatever reason, margaritas exist in a world of extremes. They’re either artificial neon green, made with disgusting sweet-sour mix and bad tequila and served in a massive styrofoam or plastic cup, or they’ve been fancified with slightly better tequila, fresh-squeezed juice, and random tropical fruit purees or extravagant garnishes…
The can is a filthy liar. The cowboy painted on the front of the saison from Fort Worth’s Martin House seems as relaxed as the river he’s fishing. The body of water could be a lake it’s so still, but pop open the top and you’re greeted with class II…
This weekend, the folks at Tupps Brewery in McKinney opened their doors for the first time. For those who live in the northern suburbs, Tupps provides a family-friendly place to drink craft beer while you teach your 8-year-old the bimini ring toss game. Tupps is located next to the historic…
Today is Cinco de Mayo, but you already knew that. Not because you’re some kind of expert in Mexican history, but because you really, really like to drink. In this fair city, we celebrate this joyous occasion in the most American way possible, by ignoring Mexico’s history and tradition in…
It isn’t easy to gulp down a drink that is literally designed to punch you in the face, but it is always so very worth it. Cocktails like the Negroni have introduced me into this entire new world of drinking, even if I did have to choke down the first…
I’ve never met a luchador in real life, but I’ve read a little about them. And after drinking a few beers for this story, I feel as though that’s plenty to make me an expert. The stories I’ve read tell of two-faced men, quiet and reserved in the real world,…
It was just about a year ago when Twin Peaks first made the announcement: The Dallas-based breastaurant group was getting into the beer-brewing business, riding on the heels of the craft beer movement that was inundating the nation in small-batch suds. The chain released two beers with the promise of…
As Dallas slowly becomes a mecca for beer-drinking in Texas, yet another brewery is establishing itself in the Design District. Though it opened back in January, Texas Ale Project celebrated its “grand opening” on Saturday. Inside the fence at Texas Ale Project, it is like any other brewery tour you…
It makes sense that Prohibition-era cocktails are making a resurgence at the same time as craft cocktails, because the people who are willing to spend $14 on a cocktail are the same people who are deeply enamored with being able to have a drink that was once served in a…
Texas’ liquor laws, if not the most confusing in the country (thank you, Utah), are confusing enough. So the battle in the Legislature, pitting Walmart, Costco and Kroger against some of the state’s best-known liquor chains, fits perfectly. It’s not necessarily a fight between big companies out to get the…
Let me start by saying this: I love IPAs. There are few beers I enjoy more than a hoppy, coppery IPA that has a nice ABV to it. When I first got into craft beer it was through beers that weren’t necessarily heavy or hoppy; Shiner Bock, Real Ale Fireman’s…
I am still getting used to the idea of spirit-forward cocktails. They’re just not the kind of drinking that most of us, who generally prefer that our liquor be obscured by overly-sweet juices and other mixers, are used to. When you first start drinking, potency is more important than flavor…
