Category Archives: Reviews

Bailey’s Prime (Closed)

Bailey’s, the Cedar Hill transplant that opened a couple years ago in the brand new Shops at Park Lane, is HANDS DOWN one of my new favorite fancy happy hour spots. I’d say it’s right up there with Perry’s, only trumping it with its longer hours.

After visiting Bailey’s for a “working” lunch and Mother’s Day brunch, I was eager to try their famed all-night happy hour. I was glad I finally made it in because my time there was one of the more fun nights I’ve had in a while. (I’ll attribute that a little to the company and a little to the location.)

The whole staff seems to be there to make your experience amazing. Perfect example: my mom invited me to meet her when I was walking out of the grocery with items that needed refrigeration. On the way to the resto, I called and asked if they could free up some fridge space for my groceries and they gladly obliged. The bartenders (Pedro and Kelly) will get you anything you want and will even take you for a swing on the dance floor if you so desire; on that note, Kelly is one of the better bartenders I’ve seen in Dallas from a service standpoint.

The drinks are delicious and STRONG. Try some of their signature cocktails offered on the happy hour menu like the Cosmotini, Pomegranate Martini, or the bourbon-based, Forty Apples. I enjoyed the VERY cucumber-y Cucumber Martini and would have died to try the French Seventy Five Martini – I didn’t want to venture into champagne on a school night.

The food is equally as good (and equally as discounted). We got an order of their homemade chips and they were delicious as was their fresh-baked bread. You know a restaurant is good when you see Kent Rathbun stop in for a bite!

Last word: Make sure you check in on Foursquare because they have one of the most generous check-ins specials I’ve seen – a free glass of their house Malbec, no strings attached.

Drink strength: 4
Overall: 4.5

Bailey’s Prime Plus
www.baileysprimeplus.com
8160 Park Lane #130 (Shops at Park Lane) | (214) 750-8100

Specials:
Monday-Thursday (4-7 p.m.) and Friday (4-11 p.m.)
$5 house wines, $6 signature cocktails, $2 domestic beer, $4 well drinks

Live bands: Friday and Saturday nights

Product Review: Last Round

I gave up alcohol for Lent … hard to believe, I know. It seemed like a great idea until I realized that I would be in Vegas on Easter weekend (for the less religiously inclined of you out there —- Lent ends ON Easter). I forsaw two issues:
1. I couldn’t NOT drink in Vegas so I sadly bent my morals and started a few days early.
2. I didn’t think about how low my tolerance would be after not drinking for so long.

The latter was going to severely hinder my early morning pool lounging … so I thought. When packing, I made sure to lug my samples of Last Round with me. The first night I was schnockered, but somehow managed to down a bottle before fading into sweet passed-out bliss. When I woke on Friday morning, I felt like I’d slept for 12 hours and hadn’t had a drink. What a miracle!

The taste was a little tough to take, especially on an already weak, alcohol-soaked stomach, but I made it through the whole thing in one belt and chased it with water. (Unlike most hangover remedies, you don’t have to drink water after Last Round.) Last Round is even made with mostly recognizable ingredients – see their ingredient information on the left.

A bottle (2.4 oz) goes for about $3 and can be purchased on their website, www.last-round.com. They even sell a “party pack” of 48 bottles. You know what they say … SHARE THE WEALTH!

Their website reads, “Last Round cannot cure bad decisions, questionable hook-ups, senseless ramblings or excessive friend hugging…. However, Last Round will have you feeling so good the next day, it’s like last night never happened.”

All I can says is, “Amen … and thanks!”

www.last-round.com | @last_round

24

Beefeater recently began distributing its newest bottle of heaven in the United States – Dallas being only the 10th U.S. city in which it debuted. Previously, only the lucky travelers that ventured to Canada could snag bottles and bring them back to wave them under the jealous noses of those who didn’t make it up to the Great White North to get their own bottle. Sadly, I missed the launch party, but since I’m such a lucky little lady and people at Beefeater have heard of my little site, a bottle of the ambrosia arrived on my doorstep.

I couldn’t wait to unscrew the cap … but I did. But I only waited for my friendsand the proper mixers to come together so I wouldn’t be tempted to empty the bottle all by my lonesome. Soon enough, friends arrived and drinks were mixed. We made at least one of each of their signature 24 cocktails and I can’t think of a single one of which I wouldn’t want a few more.

The gin itself is quite tasty. They say it’s made with botanicals and teas, and by some of the brightest minds (read: biggest lushes) in the industry … but what I know it that is doesn’t make me shudder when I take a swig of a strongly-mixed G&T. It delivers hints of grapefruit with each sip and it’s de-lightful. Not a single complaint could be heard in Chez O the night we so diligently explored the intricacies of 24.

Since a bottle of 24 is only $28.99 for a 750 mL, it’s not a budget-breaker and will occupy the top shelf of my bar from now on. So grab a bottle for yourself and try out a recipe or two below for yourself. Guarantee … you’ll enjoy it as much as we did.

St. Henderson’s 24 | Signature Cocktail Created by Scott Melton of Bar Celine, Dallas, TX
1 Part Beefeater 24™
½ Part Aperol
½ Part St. Germain
½ Part Lemon Juice
Shaken, topped with soda and served over ice with a lemon peel to garnish

Shifting Sands | Adapted from a recipe by Sasha Petraske of Milk & Honey, New York
1 & ½ Parts Beefeater 24™
1 & ½ Parts fresh grapefruit juice
¼ Part fresh lemon juice
2 Bar Spoons of Maraschino Liqueur
Club soda
1 grapefruit wedge, as garnish

24 Martini | Created by Dan Warner
5 Parts Beefeater 24™
1 Part Lillet Blanc
2 Dashes of Regan’s Orange Bitters
Stirred and served up with a grapefruit twist.

Triple Citrus 24&T
2 Parts Beefeater 24™
1 Part Fever-Tree Tonic

Perry’s Steakhouse | Uptown Dallas

Let’s start with some education: the restaurant on Routh many Dallasites know of as Perry’s has changed its name to The Place at Perry’s. Don’t be confused because they are both steakhouses – however, I am giving my thoughts only about the newly opened Perry’s on McKinney. That being said, here we go!

My visit to Perry’s was one of the most enjoyable happy hours I’ve had in quite a while. I have been back since my initial visit and loved it as much as I did the first time around – maybe even more actually.

Picture courtesy of Perry’s Steakhouse

From now on, you will be able to find me here most Fridays starting around 3:30 p.m. partaking in their Friday lunch special of Perry’s Famous Pork Chop served with whipped potatoes and homemade applesauce for only $13.95 before 4 p.m. If a pork chop doesn’t tickle your fancy, take part in one (hell, two, three, or even four) of the Social Hour appetizer options. My favorites were the fried asparagus with lump crab meat*, homemade Polish sausage, and the Kobe burger. My friend Casey made the following comment after eating the Kobe burger: “THIS burger for is on happy hour?”* Glances at girlfriend and says emphatically, “We’re comin’ back!”

After eating your fill, stay for a couple hours and enjoy the cocktail offerings they have for Bar 79 Social Hour. There is a cocktail for everyone here. If you can’t decide, try the flight of cocktails which includes three inventive concoctions in sippable sizes. Their mojitos are the perfect drink for summer, hands down. In addition they have a drink that is Perry’s take on a Manhattan that the men at the table thoroughly enjoyed (a few times over). Their fruit is incredible and is prepared fresh daily; head chef Danny does fruit quality control daily to ensure it’s at its best.

Aside from the fantastic discounted food and drinks, the atmosphere is relaxing and inviting with live music to lighten the mood in the bar and entertain. There is an air of sophisticated relaxation in the bar area and the patio boasts a giant inverted umbrella with plenty of seating. If you want to catch a game without spending time at a dive bar, they have a TV behind the hand-etched glass bar (with hilarious quotes about drinking) so you can nosh on their brilliant food while watching. If you can, try to get the middle table, though, you’ll feel like you’re in the VIP section!

The wait staff at Perry’s is unmatched; they offer VERY helpful suggestions, crack jokes, and are incredibly attentive. Between Mark, Howard, Rich the bartender, Kennan, and Martin, our waiter, we were never in want for another drink or a even a napkin.

I’ll see all of you there on Friday!

Perry’s Steakhouse & Grille
www.perryssteakhouse.com
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest
2000 McKinney Ave., Suite 100 | 214-855-5151

PERRY’S NOW HAS A LOCATION IN FRISCO, TX ALSO. CHECK OUT RACHEL’S REVIEW OF THE NEW SPOT!

Drink strength: 3.8
Overall: 4.4

Specials:

Social Hour | Monday-Friday, 4-6:30 p.m.
discounted seasonal cocktails, wines, and appetizers

Live Music | Monday-Thursday, 6-10 p.m.
Friday & Saturday | 6-11 p.m.

*Initial post written quite a while ago. Pricing has been updated to reflect changes!

Muddy Waters

This Dallas legend has been around for quite a while and is a bastion of the Dallas local music scene. If you ask any of the guys from the Local Yokel show, this is one of the places in Dallas you MUST go … just so you can say you’ve been.

The night we went, we sadly didn’t do our homework; it was open mic night. No one was playing when we were there but a DJ was setting up (it looked like it would have been entertaining to stay!). So, we did the next best thing and fed our dollar bills to the jukebox and played a few rounds of pool.

The drinks were pretty misleading … I had a few and was quite festive though I thought they tasted weak. The drinks were so misleading that I felt confident enough to order jambalaya (very out of the ordinary for this girl!) when we ventured over to Alligator Cafe to grab a bite when we discovered Muddy Waters didn’t have any food offerings.

The bartender was efficient and the regulars were bizarre to say the least (and one was a bit smelly). This wouldn’t be a bad place to grab a round of pool or listen to a great local band … try it sometime. 🙂

Muddy Waters
1518 Greenville Avenue | Dallas, TX 75206-7413
(214) 823-1518

Angry Dog

All the way down in Deep Ellum, beside St. Pete’s, a quiet evening amongst friends began with cheap wells and drafts and a plate of chicken wings. As we recapped our days, our blast-of-a-waiter, Vincent, entertained us with his attempt at a German accent.

The night was filled with Angry Dogs (the namesake of the chow joint, a fully loaded hot dog complete with a side of beans! Not the angry, biting dog that might send you on a trip to Stewart Law Offices) and drinks. Not Their alcohol spread is impressive but know that they don’t consider Franconia domestic – even though it’s made in McKinney!

The crowd wasn’t what one would expect from Deep Ellum because Angry Dog is loved by all and it’s reputation reaches quite far. Give it a chance and definitely make sure you put plenty of nickels in the meters, though … the meter maids in that neck of the woods are vicious (two of our four cars got $35 parking tickets for expired meters – one only by 8 minutes!).

Drink strength: 3
Overall: 4

Angry Dog
www.angrydog.com
2726 Commerce Street | (214) 741-4406

Specials:
Monday – Friday | 4-7 p.m. | $2.50 domestic drafts, $3.50 premium drafts, $3 house wine, $2.50 house cocktails

The Library Bar at the Warwick Melrose

The Warwick Melrose has been a long-time lap of luxury for Dallasites that this girl only just had the chance to experience after 6 years in this city. I am so glad that I finally found my way over to it.

The milieu was sultry and elegant due to the dim lighting and the live jazz (they have live music most nights). From the moment we sat down our waiter was eager to serve us whatever we desired – even if it included random bar trivia.

The men got scotch and were served much more than the usual “three fingers.” The ladies partook in the cosmos which are touted as “world class” for a reason. They were smooth and not too sweet – though I don’t think I’d have more than one because they were a bit small and, let’s face it, I like my drinks. Laura usually doesn’t drink “girly drinks” because they are too sweet but she loved the cosmo.

Bottom line: while we enjoyed our time at the Library Bar on Cougar Cosmo Friday, but we didn’t see enough cougars on the prowl to make it worth missing their Wednesday night offering; you will find me there soon!

I wanted to do my first video review from the Library Bar but it was a wee bit too dark to do a decent lighting job – but keep your eyes open for one soon!

The Library Bar
warwickmelrosedallas.com
3015 Oak Lawn Ave
Dallas, TX 75219-4134
(214) 224-3144

Specials:
Sunday-Friday | 7:30–9 p.m. | Domestic Beers and Segura Viudas Champagne by the glass for $3

The Warwick has some great events coming up … click here to see what the Warwick has to offer!

Abacus

Once again, Kent Rathbun has made an impression on my taste buds.

Abacus, the long-time Dallas icon of luxurious cuisine, also makes a mean martini. The atmosphere in the bar area is formal but welcoming. The connected couches mimicing tables create a homey feel without being casual — but you must dress to impress here (though I’ve never understood what EXACTLY that term means when clubs say it).

I met a friend for a late night drink and snack on a Wednesday. Abacus has responded to the floundering economy by creating an extra happy hour (late night at that!) and added the great Wednesday night special of an extra 1/2 off of the food at the bar – which is incredibly good.

We each had a sushi roll and a martini; both were brilliant. The generous portion of sushi could have been an entire meal (for a girl at least) and was only $9 and was some of the better sushi I’ve had in a while and it wasn’t even at a Japanese restaurant. The martini: perfection.

I personally don’t think you can go wrong with one of their specialty cocktails and the waiters will ensure you order a drink that you are going to love. What great people, eh?

Overall … make this a must-try for a late dinner (especially on a Wednesday). You won’t regret it.

Abacus Restaurant
www.kentrathbun.com | Twitter
4511 Mckinney Ave
Dallas, TX 75205-4213
(214) 559-3111

Specials:
Monday-Friday | 5-7 p.m., 9 p.m.-close | $2 off beer, wines by the glass, and cocktails | 1/2 price sushi, 9pm-close
Wednesdays | 1/2 off bar food menu

SusieDrinks

Drink well. Travel often.