The Ultimate Guide to Your Weekend in Dallas, If You're Skipping Valentine's Day

Do This!
Usher in the Year of the Monkey in the Arts District with the Crow Collection's Chinese New Year Celebration. From 11 a.m.-7:30 p.m. on what promises to be a beautiful Saturday, there will be performances and traditional Chinese New Year art making activities, calligraphy demonstrations, face painting, fortune telling and more. 

Dallas Comic Con takes over the Irving Convention Center for all your cosplay desires. Characters galore will roam the halls and the line-up of guests include  some of your favorite stars from shows including Gotham, Star Trek, and - of all things — Boy Meets World. The convention takes place all day Saturday and Sunday. Passes start at $40.

If your dog could use some better leash skills, or maybe if you're the one who needs practice, Art Ortiz of DogFit Dallas is hosting a community pack walk at 10 a.m. Saturday. Bring your furry friend to the Continental Avenue Pedestrian Bridge on the Trinity Groves side before 9:45 a.m. and be prepared to follow the guidelines, which include not stopping to sniff even if you smell that pastrami sandwich from Luck. 

Mother Earth Is a Dirty Whore — In Color and Uncensored won't be an art show to get you in the mood for love. In fact, it might leave you a little fucked up inside. And artist Joachim West isn't afraid of that one bit. This weekend, he exhibits his latest work in a large warehouse space near Bishop Arts District at 810 Davis St. Swing through the space from 6-8 p.m. Saturday. 


Eat This!
If you're going to be up north this weekend, but you don't want to skip your daily habit of copious amounts of meat eating, we've compiled a handy list of the best barbecue places in North DFW. Some are familiar names (Lockhart), while others will be new entries in your diary of meat. 

Just because you're not celebrating Birth Control day, doesn't mean you shouldn't chow down on a platter of aphrodisiacs with a side of shrimp. Treat yo'self to the Seafood and Chill at TJ's. Sure, it's $115 and you aren't going to lock down Prince Moneybags this year, but just look at it for christ's sake.

Greenville Ave. Pizza Company (1923 Greenville Ave.)  is celebrating Singles Awareness Day Monday. After offering a pretty great Valentine's Day special of heart-shaped pizza and mini Champagnes to couples, the pizzeria is offering the same deal to singles from 11 -1 a.m. Monday. 

Speaking of pizza. Be still, my heart. Zoli's in Oak Cliff is closing Sunday. Over on the food blog, Alice Laussade waxes poetic about the devastating news and we couldn't agree more: "My heart wants to throw up in its mouth." Now we'll have to drive all the way to North Dallas to get that doggone delicious pizza.

Drink This!
We actually don't care what you drink at the Whippersnapper, but you'll want to toss something back so you can dance. This slick re-do of the old Slip Inn location doesn't serve craft beer, but they'll whip you up a cocktail so you can get your groove on. 

The Chinese New Year is coming up, which gives you a never-needed but always appreciated reason to slug a few beers and dance like a monkey. (I don't think the Year of the Monkey has anything to do with dancing, but it isn't not about dancing, either.) Thanks to Granbury's Revolver Brewing's newest concoction, The Mandarin, you have another excuse to drink one down for the holiday. Additionally on Saturday, the brewery, which is just a short drive from Dallas, is throwing a New Year bash. 


Hear This!
New York City-based band Brazilian Girls brings its bizarrely wonderful blend of EDM, tango, house, reggae and lounge music to Club Dada at 8 p.m. Thursday. Tickets are $14-$17. 

I wouldn't expect the chillest show of the weekend to be at Gas Monkey Live! But what do I know? Best Coast plays there at 8 p.m. Friday with Wavves and Cherry Glazer. Because the world is filled with surprises. 

Marty Friedman left Megadeath because, get this, it wasn't metal enough for him. Which means if you're looking for somewhere to thrash your head and stroke your air guitar this weekend, you'll want to be at Trees Saturday. Tickets to this hardcore show are $21-$26. 


Watch This!
I'm Gonna Pray For You So Hard probably won't put you in the mood for love, at least not the sexy kind. It might have you running out of Kitchen Dog Theater to give your parents a tight squeeze for being at least slightly better than the dad in this play by Halley Feiffer. Jenny Ledel and Barry Nash star as a daughter/father duo. She seeks his approval; he's overtly self-involved. It all unravels from there. It opens at 8 p.m. Friday. Tickets are $15-$40; purchase online at kitchendogtheater.org.

It won't be red hearts and goo-goo eyes at the Wyly Theatre this weekend. Bitter Honey, Eric Bogosian's monologue show, is in town to, among other things, offer you some biting social commentary that won't be rainbows and butterflies. The performance runs at 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, and tickets are $29-$49 at attpac.org.

Long Day's Journey Into Night is hands down one of the best plays ever written for the theater. Eugene O'Neill's autobiographical drama hit stages in the 1940s and received a posthumous Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1957. Undermain Theatre produces this play about a family on the rocks with a bang-up cast including Joanna Schellenberg and Bruce DuBose. There are preview performances Thursday and Friday leading up to a sold-out opening Saturday night. Tickets at undermain.org.