gui

Keyed up with the promise of all-you-can-eat sushi for a mere Jackson, our group of five marched into Gui with high expectations. Martinis, mixed drinks, and rolls were ordered as we surveyed the clientèle. The usual Uptown beautiful people were in attendance sipping their cocktails and bumbling with their chopsticks.

Round two of rolls and drinks were ordered and the snappy service continued. The overall favorites of the 12 rolls our table ordered were the Eel, Crunch, and Spider rolls; the favorite drink was the shot – sake, Goose, and some other yummy nectar with a celery garnish. (Yes, shots on a Tuesday!) Our group followed the rules (pictured below) and had a great time.

While Gui does a quite a few things right, one thing they have a slight problem with is matching the prices on the website to the prices on the menu. Call before you go so when you look at your bill and see double, you’ll know it’s from the strong drinks!

GUI RULES

Gui
www.guirestaurant.com | @GuiUPTOWN
2719 Mckinney Ave | (214) 720-9229

HULLY & MO

Scene 1: A bedroom.
{Light up as sun shines through a curtained window. Zoom in on clock beside bed; 11am on Sunday. Pan to reveal a hungover Susie waking up. Dazed, she looks around her room, fluffs her pillow, and initiates Operation: Brunch. Her iPhone clicks along as texts are sent and a destination chosen. She gets out of bed and dresses.}

Scene 2: Hully and Mo.
The large, heavy doors with hockey stick handles set the mood of a rugged sports bar. Inside, plush booths and a shiny bar give it a relaxed, chic feel and make a hangover brunch at the brainchild of Mike Modano and Brett Hull ideal. This particular day a Rangers game was on and the multiple flat screen TVs gave everyone in the party an unobstructed view.

The multiple spicy (and pleasantly potent) bloody marys and bottomless mimosas washed down our breakfast/brunch/lunch choices perfectly while lubricating the conversation. While I think we scared our waitress a little, she served us with a smile and took our jokes with a grain of salt and never let our drinks touch the bottom.

Overall, their patio is a great place to spend a Sunday brunch (even if it was empty) or have a drink before walking across the street to GingerMan. What more could a man want from a sports bar more than good food, good drinks, plenty of TVs, and cute girls? … I’d say not much.

Hully and Mo: Restaurant & Tap Room
2800 Routh Street, Ste. 115
Dallas, TX 75201
(214) 954-0203
www.hullyandmo.com/

Specials:
Monday-Friday | 4pm-7pm $2 off cocktails and wine, $2.50 domestic bottles, $3.50 imports, $5 appetizers
Saturday | 11am-4pm | $2 off cocktails and wine, $2.50 domestic bottles, $3.50 imports, $5 appetizers
Sunday | 11am-3pm | $3 bloody marys, $8 bottomless mimosas

“I feel sorry for people who don’t drink. They wake up in the morning and that’s the best they’re going to feel all day.” –

Dean Martin

Rattlesnake Bar

UPDATE: Please see bottom for updated offerings.

The Ritz Carlton represents luxury and class around the globe – to me, it’s happiness. The atmosphere of the dimly-lit Rattlesnake Bar is cool and laid back … until the evening clientèle arrives, that is.

After work, stop by the bar to lounge on the sumptuously stuffed sofas and chairs and sip on extremely strong, expertly mixed cocktails to wind down from the day. Immaculately dressed bartenders will craft the drinks while you are offered free sips of mini margaritas and some of the best guacamole I’ve ever had (begins at 6pm, M-F). To drink, I strongly recommend the John Daly (yes, after the PGA champion), it’s your decision to order the pack of Marlboro offered on the side or not.

If you wait until the veil of night to try out the bar, you will be in for a completely different experience. Cue the Dallas socialites, golddiggers, unctuous lounge lizards, and little old couples just finishing dinner at Fearings (just named one of the top 10 best restaurants in the world). The Ritz accepts and caters to all kinds. The people-watching at Rattlesnake Bar is the real treat – go to see and be seen; just don’t wear anything too shiny or you’ll be a target.

The staff is what you would expect from the Ritz and more, and the complimentary valet is one of the most efficient I’ve ever seen (and they aren’t terrible to look at, either). Everyone in Dallas should experience this bar at least once … so slither on in for a drink and a wink.

The Rattlesnake Bar in the Ritz Carlton
www.ritzcarlton.com/dallas
2121 McKinney Ave | (214)922-4848

Offerings (updated 5/25):
Wednesday and Thursday | 5:30 – 7 p.m. | Dean’s Two-Bite Tacos passed around the bar (and the outside bar)

Your drinking site is really cool, sweetheart … but why does it open other people’s pages when I click their faces?

my lovely mother.

Will blog for vodka.

J. Pepe’s (closed)

Here’s the deal … I’d love to write a witty intro for J.Pepe’s, but I’m hungover from all the fun that started there last night! 4 drinks and an enchilada dinner into my evening I was only $13.50 down and somewhat buzzed (which for me rarely happens after only 4 drinks). Pretty fantastic for a Monday evening.

The drinks aren’t too watered down, and the bartender, Asher, was really nice (even though he wouldn’t replace our salsa??). I told him to make me my next drink when it got down to a certain line on the glass … and he did. Quite impressive. He even gave us input on a discussion we were having.

They also have a pool that people can actually use – enough said.

Bottom line: J.Pepe’s has the right idea … cheap drinks, friendly people, and a pool. Done.

J. Pepe’s
www.jpepesgreenville.com
3619 Greenville Ave | (214)821-6431

Victor Tangos

Did you know that, during Prohibition, vodka tonics were called “Victor Tangos” to ensure stealth when referring to the drink? Well, that’s the line the charismatic host, Greg Katz, fed us and immediately followed it with a letdown: vodka didn’t make its way into mainstream American culture until the 1950s (fact for the day) … it was a great story, but it’s really too darn bad that this isn’t true because that would have been a great reason to dub a bar Victor Tangos.

Barring the completely boring origin of the name, the bar has much to offer. For all you New York transplants (i.e. my boss), it did remind me quite a bit of The Volstead to which my expert in The City, Sam, took me. … for the rest of us it’s a great peek into the New York bar scene.

While the tastiness of the drinks and food cause you to overorder (and overeat!), it’s well worth it. Their signature drinks are stellar: the Pepper Smash, Moscow Mule, and the Lightening Bug. Their drinks are on the higher end of the happy hour price scale but are strong enough to make it worth it. The chicken and waffles (to the right) just won the best chicken and waffles in Dallas from D Magazine … and they are. Overall, great place for a couple drinks and dinner after work and an incredibly fun place to go on the weekends. There is a good mix of (beautiful) people there and it’s quite loud in there so you’re always sure to find someone to talk to, even if it is one of the bartenders (which I’d recommend because they are quite cheeky and fun).