It's a banner week for the finest of all fine-dining and drinking spots in Dallas. As we reported earlier today, Keller's Drive-In was included on a list of the 10 best burgers in the country and now, the Windmill Lounge has made a list as one of the best bars in America.
The good people of Esquire just delivered their June/July issue to my mailbox. And, no, I didn't open it to read the cover story on Brad Pitt (sporting a throwback Legends of the Fall look) and how he feels about Angie, the kids and zombies. But, rather I noticed a headline on the cover tucked behind Brad's right thigh, which read "Where to drink now."
The article is titled "The Dives are Dying" and writer David Wondrich opines that "every time [God] opens a brand-new speakeasy, he closes a fine old dive bar." 18 of the 29 bars listed are, in fact, dives. The Windmill is joined by two other Lone Star State bars, the Esquire Tavern in San Antonio and The Cloak Room in Austin.
While the Windmill isn't old in years, it's got an old soul. Louise Owens and Charlie Papaceno opened the spot in 2005. Owens is a former food and drink writer for The Dallas Morning News and appreciates the art of "old man" or pre-Prohibition drinks. She and Papaceno have created a laid-back, sometimes-eclectic little dive that is good for hiding in a corner or crooning during weekly Scaraoke.
"And if a comfortable, friendly dive with a jukebox and serious cocktails doesn't appeal to you, then you have our profoundest sympathies," Wondrich writes.
The Windmill is having an eighth anniversary party on June 8. There will be plenty to celebrate.
