soFISHtication in deep ellum

St. Pete’s is the kind of place that I would want to one of the “regulars”.  Pete, the owner but not the namesake, actually works behind the bar … and you can tell how much he loves what he does and has since it opened 16 years ago.  St. Pete’s is named for the patron saint of fisherman, St. Peter (I guess that explains the 61 fish hanging from the rafters, walls, and doors).

Pete was quick with a joke and a drink, he even squeezes the limes FOR you – what customer service saving my hands from becoming sticky and pulpy from my limes – and each drink comes with a real marlin swizzle stick.

The food is good – definitely try the chicken strips!  The drinks are pretty strong … my sister was a little questionable after her first drink that is now affectionately called “The Alice” (which is good because I can’t see Pete serving one of the regulars something called a “Pretty Pink Princess Majesty” (tequila and pineapple).

There is a secret free parking lot behind the place complete with a back entrance into the awesomely huge patio area.  This place has plenty of seating, big TVs, and purse hooks (yes!).  The regulars were men you’d expect to see hanging out at a bar and some of the other patrons had mohawks and tattoos … and then there was the cute guy at the bar dressed to the nines with really nice shoes on.

As Pete’s business card states about St. Pete’s Dancing Marlin, “It is what it is.”

Drink strength: 4
Overall: 3

St Pete’s Dancing Marlin
www.dancingmarlin.com
2730 Commerce Street
Dallas, TX 75226-1404
(214) 698-1511

Special:
Monday-Friday | 4-7 p.m. | $0.75-$1 off all drinks

nobu

So I’m going to shoot straight with you … I don’t make tons of money (though my shoe collection may convince some otherwise).  If I did, I would dine at Nobu as often as possible.  I haven’t ever had anything but a great experience there and the food and drinks are always spot on.  After my last visit, I can rest assured that the next time I crave a good sake martini and rock shrimp, I can indulge myself without too much guilt at Nobu.

Nobu recently instituted ”Nobu Night” on Wednesday nights and it’s quite a doozy.  $6 appetizers (decent portions), $7 specialty martinis, and $4 beers.  Yes, this is the classy side of 75, so you should expect to pay a bit more … and it’s Nobu.  At these prices, can you ignore your practical side for a night and not regret it the next morning.

When you walk in, the staff will greet you in a badly-timed unison of “ishayamasai” or “welcome” and the mood is sultry but energized.  The decor is quite interesting with fake trees lining the far side of the restaurant and large columns throughout the dining area.

Make sure you get there at on the early side of happy hour because once the dinner crowd arrives, the wait staff gets a bit manic and the span between your drinks causes you to sober up and reconsider ordering another.  But then again, Nobu isn’t the place for a quick drink, but the kind of place you go expecting a few hours of strong drinks and three rounds of appetizers and put your people watching hat on.

The clientele is a blast to watch.  You see the businessmen sitting alone at the bar after a long day of work in the Crescent Towers and the older couples coming in for a quick bite of heaven before going to bed.  You’ll also see the typical Dallas crowd filter in as it gets later … I usually slip out before they arrive!

Definitely spoil yourself and try their Nobu Night … your stomach will thank you, though your liver may not.



Drink strength: 3.5
Overall: 4

Nobu
www.noburestaurants.com
400 Crescent Court | Dallas, TX 75201-1838 (Inside the Crescent Hotel)
(214) 252-7000

Specials:
Monday, Tuesday & Friday | 5-7 p.m. | all beers $4.00, all Signature cocktails $7, select appetizers $6
Wednesday & Thursday | 5-10 p.m. | all beers $4.00, all Signature cocktails $7, select appetizers $6
Sunday | 50% all bottled wine $100 or less

on a high note …

Stan’s Blue Note is right around the corner from my friend’s house … so needless to say, I’m there a lot.  Stan’s is so much fun because, as often as I’m there, I still run into new people and new flamboyant characters and no night there is ever the same.  If you are a usual here, you know that the management has changed.  The jury’s still out on how that will change the place, but I know the former owner’s presence is missed.

Drinks aren’t too expensive and they are pretty strong and can inspire a pretty damn good night.  I can say with confidence that some of the best nights I’ve had lately  have been here.  (You have to watch out for the flying eggs, though.  One night I got smacked in the face with an egg a motorcyclist threw while driving by … SO not cool.  My valiant friends tried to chase him but didn’t have any luck.)

The food at Stan’s is surprisingly good – try the chicken fried steak with jalepeno gravy or the buffalo chicken sandwich (not on the menu but you MUST try it!).  Portions are HUGE – consider sharing with a friend.

High NOTES (bad pun, I know): varied clientele, good location, shuffleboard and Big Buck Hunter!, Tuesday nights
Low notes: not-so-nice bathrooms

Drink strength: 4
Overall: 2.5

Stan’s Blue Note
2908 Greenville Avenue | Dallas, TX 75206-6241
(214) 827-1977

Specials:
Monday-Friday | 11 a.m. -7 p.m. | $1 off everything

Tuesday | 7 p.m. – close | $2.00 Crown and Down
Thursday | 7 p.m. – close | $2.50 draft night
Saturday-Sunday | til 10 p.m. | $2.50 domestic drafts, $9 domestic pitchers, $4 mimosas and bloody mary’s (only when there are NFL or college games on)

thrilling

How strange to have their logo be a target … but they sure hit the mark.  

Launched this summer, Thrillist brings Dallas the cool places to be, eat, and go along with little tips on anything from Christmas gifts to gadgety electronics that you MUST buy to the place to find a frosty mug of beer.

Sign up for their daily email to hear about the coolest new Dallas trends and hot spots.   Thrillist is what I would call the male answer to Daily Candy (we women can’t have all the fun, right?).  With their witty writers and their punny titles, it makes reading their daily tips a bit of a fun trip.  AND they know their stuff … I mean, they wrote about my little site so they must know what’s up!  

Their launch party at Lemon Bar last night was a great time.  Drinks concocted with Southern Comfort and elven waitresses passing out unlimited Dos Equis made standing in line to get free gifts from under the Thrillist Wonderland Christmas tree from Kid Robot go by quickly.  Everyone was friendly and I even made some new friends thanks to the social lubrication provided by the sponsors.

I got to meet some of the editors and they are a blast and good eggs.  I look forward to working with them in the future!

monica’s aca y alla

We’re in a recession, right?  Well, whether your wallet is hurting or you just like to get a lot of bang for your buck, you need to head over to Monica’s.  We brunched on Sunday and for the three of us to share queso and each have three drinks and an entree, we only spent $11 each!

The prices aren’t the only appealing thing … the food was to DIE for.  They had white queso that’s the best queso I’ve had in Dallas – hands down.  We all loved our meals and our waiter, Pedro, was very friendly and hooked us up with an “extended” happy hour.

The clientele was INCREDIBLY varied.  There were Nebraska fans watching the football game (there are 2 TVs), a couple tables of Deep Ellum residents, and an older couple.  At the end of our meal, we were the only people in the restaurant which was nice because we had full run of the TV!

Definitely try this place!  Good food, amazing drink specials, free valet on the weekends, and dancing after dinner on Saturday.  What more could you want?

Drink strength: 3
Overall: 4

Monica’s Aca Y Alla Restaurant
www.monicas.com
2914 Main St | Dallas, TX 75226 
(214) 748-7140‎

Specials:
Tuesday | all night | 1/2 price food (selected items only)
Wednesday | $0.75 margaritas (with purchase of entree – limit 3)
Thursday | all night | $4.50  Tex-Mex, $3.50  happy hour
Friday | all night | $3.00 happy hour
Saturday | Live Music and dancing
Sunday | (til 3 p.m.) $1.00 Mimosas & Margaritas, $2.50 Bloody Mary & Screwdriver (night) $4.50 Top shelf Margaritas, Flavored Margaritas and well drinks

winedale tavern – CLOSED

Good things come in small packages, right?  After enjoying a few drinks at Libertine Bar, Brandon mentioned the Winedale Tavern.  I like to think I know a thing or two about the bar scene in Dallas, but I hadn’t even head of this place.  Intrigued, we decided to make the long journey across the street to try it out.

It’s one of the smallest bars I have ever been in but it packed a punch and it was the epitome of a Dallas dive bar.  Nestled on Lower Greenville, all you can see from the street is the front door with its name scrawled across in paint and you can hear the karaoke from across the street.  The decor is unexpected so be prepared to see the

 skulls above the bar!

We tried it on a Tuesday and they had super cheap margaritas on the rocks.  As is in the “about me” section … I hate margaritas on the rocks.  But this one, this one I drank (2 even!).  The margaritas caused us to get a bit creative with the silly putty and pink cowboy hat we found and I will say it was quite the interesting night (just ask Yosemite Sam on the right).

Try Winedale Tavern out for a night just so you can say you’ve been.

Drink strength:
Overall: 

Winedale Tavern
(214) 823-5018 
2110 Greenville Ave
Dallas, TX 75206

Specials:
EVERYDAY | 1:30-7:30| $2 domestics, $3 wells
Tuesday & Thursday | Karaoke nights!

(maybe you’ll get lucky … the owner apparently randomly picks drink specials on random nights!)