R.I.P Ships

Ships is not closed. Repeat: Ships is not closed. But this blog was written after the news from a friend of mine that it WAS closing. She thought the closed up look of the place meant they had packed their bags. Nope! Just the regular look of the place. So I'm running with this faux obituary thing as a sort of tribute. Enjoy!

I didn't really love you, you were more like the broke down caddy on the list of Dallas bars I've hunkered down in. BUT I was saddened by the news that you were closing. It has left a void in my life. It will definitely leave a void in my life. I will think back on you and smile for these particular reasons:

-Your barkeep...I will call her Bertha because she looked like a Bertha. Either way, she was old as molasses...really really old...and I think she might have tried to make smoking an Olympic sport a time or two, at least that is what her voice was telling me. Scary. But man, she could open a beer. And I sort of enjoyed listening to her stories till my eyes glazed over and I nodded slowly into my beer.

-Your decrepit wire rack of 10 year old potato chips that you try to pass off as bar snacks. Who is buyin those?! No, really, I would like to shake that person's hand for taking the chance of catching a deadly "old chip" disease because they had the munchies. Call me if you know.

-Your bar bumper. Yes it was a dirty vinyl bumper with rips and holes and stuffing coming out thats been touched by GOD KNOWS WHO but for some reason I just couldn't resist the urge to rest my head on it for a minute. I heart bars with bumpers. It means "I'm here to drink. You know that and I know that and I may fall down but you were gracious enough to make sure I'm not injured when that happens, god bless ya"

-Your cash only policy. Yes it was slightly annoying but I liked that you were like an old grandpa... set in your ways, not doing what the other young whippersnappers were doin with their fancy credit machines. Nope! You weren't changin for nodamnbody.

-Carpet. In a bar. In a bar thats been smoked in for a loooooong time. Didn't smell too great. But you had it.

For these reasons I raise my can of Keystone and say cheers to you, Ships! You will be missed.

Ships

Ross Avenue @ Greenville Ave.

Open Letter to D Magazine

Dear D Magazine,

Seriously!!

I like you alot for the most part but I (we, the people) have one bone to pick with you.

Stop posting pictures of oompa loompas and calling it Nightlife photos!!! We cannot be tricked into looking at them every week! Orange people scare us and we are tired of being frightened by their tanorexic shots. Please and thank you!

Feeling Thirsty??

Honestly speaking I try to do it all.

BUT it gets a little 'spensive doing it all on my "I'm in my mid-twenties, get me out of here" budget. Some days my bank account says Hey Big Spenda! and winks at me and tells me to have a fun night...(little flirt). On other, more frequent, days it says who the F do you think you are? Serious love/hate relationship going on there, it bosses me around and I don't like it. Drinking is an expensive habit here in Dallas. With tons of bar options around town and most of them offering happy hour specials, the thirsty girl like me finds it hard to say no after a long day of work. But to accomadate my schizo bank account I've worked out over the last couple of years a list of places to drink and eat on a dime if need be. Yes, some of them are chains but hey, alcohol is alcohol and I'm no booze snob. These places are the best of the best in my book and can offer you a potentially great night on less than 10 dollars...but let's be honest, when have you only had two drinks at happy hour?

Jake's Hamburgers Uptown- Yep, it's a burger place. But it also has one awesome happy hour. Perhaps the combo of cheap grease and liquor is what makes it great. Jake's has $2 U Call-It Domestics, $3 U Call-It Cocktails!!, draft specials, the all day everyday $3 margarita, happy hour appetizers, and a mostly attentive waitstaff to make sure you don't see the bottom of that glass till someone hits time on the happy hour buzzer!!! And the food...can't go wrong...fried pickles, fried cheese, fried everything! Also, most places around town do this BS happy hour till 6pm thing which makes me want to knock a glass over and make someone pick it up...I don't leave work till 5:30 amigos!! Not enough time to hussle down and round up at least 3 drinks to make happy hour worth it in the first place. But Jake's happy hour runs till 7pm. And if you are lucky, you will get free entertainment, sometimes bands play in the cabana area. Park yourself under the mist fans, enjoy the urban jungle, and let that crap day melt away.
http://www.jakesburgers.net/index.php

Fedora Restaurant & Lounge- This Italian spot down in One Arts Plaza is, on the outside, a little too foo-foo for my liking. You can tell it wants to be taken seriously. But I'm willing to try anything and it turns out they have a great thing going. Going to avoid the horrible Godfather reference right now and tell you what you REALLY can't refuse....on Tuesdays this place has a long island iced tea that will knock your socks off and it's only 2 bones. Have one and you feel divine, have two and you may want to stand up and do a twirl forgetting that you just spilled pizza in your lap. $2 Long Islands, Domestics, Margs and seriously good pizza (um spinach dip pizza, yes please!) until 11pm every Tuesday!!! And they have specials every night of the workweek...$4 u call-its on Thursday, half-price pizza, half price bottles of vino, list goes on. The great thing is no one really thinks a place like that would have specials so it's never really packed. Sit on the patio, enjoy the breeze and the man strumming on the guitar, and wait for that bill...believe me it won't make you want to off someone.
http://www.fedoradallas.com/

Blue Goose Cantina Greenville- Too many specials to list but $3 Thursday makes me sing!!! "Queso, house margaritas, all beers and well drinks are just three bucks all day!" The patio is huge and when its not sweltering outside you can spend a lovely evening watching the leather daddies come and go. It draws the motorcycle crowd which I have no problem with until I feel like their bike exhaust is getting in my queso. This place is festive, make friends!!!
Check out the other specials here...http://www.bluegoosecantina.com/specials.htm

La Cubanita- Hola mi mojito! I should start calling people that...my little mojito. It's catchy! I heart La Cubanita (and it's sister restaurant Sangria) for a couple reasons. One, the ambiance is great. It is a little small so once you get a seat, plant your ass there for the evening but inside the decor is very old world Cuba with just the right touches of new world. Also, every waiter and bartender I've had has been really cool. They laugh, they joke, they recommend, they know how to please a crowd (aka know how to keep those drinks comin). More importantly, this place offers a cheap happy hour with a Cuban twist. $3 mojitos, margaritas, and rum punch from 4-7 pm....and THEN a reverse happy hour, same specials from 9-close. Weekends included! Alot of places have jumped on the marg/mojito bandwagon but this place gets them right, straight up basics that pack a wallop. The last time I went our group had one too many rum punches and it ended with several phone calls of the booty variety. Mkay. Lock your phones, ladies!
http://lacubanitadallas.com/

Runner Up: Sherlock's Addison

Groan....ok so I'm sorry but I really dislike Addison, I try to avoid it at all costs, BUT there is something to be said for ridiculously cheap booze. I'm talking $2 U-calls and not just the bottom shelf stuff that makes your liver feel like a punching bag. Check out their specials here....they don't disappoint.

More to come but in the meantime this website has an insane list of drinking holes and restaurants all over the DFdub with happy hour specials.

You stay thirst, Dallas friends!

Murray St. Coffee Shop, I love you a latte

Saturday afternoon... nothin really happening...perfect day to sit reading in a cafe reflecting on the important things in life...like why my bank account always looks like some greedy elf snuck in and took all my money ($40 at CVS? Really?). Don't know why I went down through Deep Ellum that day, maybe to get off the beaten path, but I got sort of turned around down there looking for a way back to Main St. and what do you know?! Murray Street Coffee! And conveniently a parking spot right outside! (Sidenote: It's all about the good parking spot down there...a good night becomes a great one if you can find a spot that doesnt involve a five block haul.)

First off, I'm a huge fan of the indie coffee shop. They tend to always the attract the type of people I like being surrounded by....creative types, people with stories. And typical of an indie coffee shop, the people watching here was great. I like to call my people watching staring because thats really what it is. [Inner dialogue: Oops, I caught your eye. Back to my book and...oops I caught it again. Don't be alarmed I just want to know what you're all about, I find you interesting...look I'm smiling...oh you're leaving. Fine. Godspeed!]
So anyways, I fell in love with this place right away. The vibe is great, couches for lounging, art books to browse through, work spaces, an upstairs loft area, definitely intimate enough for a private conversation but you aren't closed off to the world if it's just little ole you. Good mix of music playing.
Also, I love how welcoming this place is. You see neighborhood peeps in and out grabbing coffee and chitchatting with the owners, you know they know and love it there. At the same time someone like me, not a Deep Ellum resident, can pop in, spend an afternoon there, and leave feeling all warm and fuzzy like you just hung out in your living room with your new friends. You aren't really bothered by anyone unless you want to be. So I sat, had one latte, then went back for another since it was so delish. Due to my caffeinne buzz I didn't make it that far into my book BUT...I did end up conversating with a man who did a juggling act and rode away on a bike way too small for him. Amusing!

Perk: Ummm, pretty much everything. Didn't get a chance to chat with the owners but i've seen them around Dallas and they seem like cool peoples. I liked their cafe grub menu...the tomato/mozz/pesto sandwich was yum! I hear they have djs and local bands perform there occasionally but I havent been for that.

Whether you are stopping by to grab a great cup of jo for the road or planning to stay for the evening it's a great cafe with not a hint of Starbucks in the air.

Murray Street Coffee
103 Murray St @Main

I Heart Dumplings

Dumpling.
Not only is the word fun to say...it sort of plops around on your tongue and then spring boards off at the end... but dumplings really are little pockets of fun! A bite size pouch of goodness with a surprise in it! The best thing is its all yours. Nobody is going to say "hey, let me try a bite of that dumpling you already bite off of" or at least no one I know because they would get the look of death. Anywho...dumplings are pretty much one of my favorite foods. If I could wear a shirt that says "I heart dumplings" I probably would. And I would wear it specifically on grocery store days so everyone knew exactly what my purpose was....this girl likes dumplings, clear out she is headed to the asian foods aisle. Not too long ago I was doing research for a date (yep, I do that) and actually googled Best Dumpling in Dallas. My findings sucked to be quite honest and the place voted best dumplings circa 2006 definitely was not best in my book circa 2009.

So you can imagine my gleeeeee when I saw the Now Open sign for Lumi Empanada & Dumpling Kitchen in Uptown. The first part intrigued me... hmmmm empanadas?? Empanadas by (my) definition are south of the border Hot Pockets. Pretty much every Central and South american country has some version of the empanada with a traditional filling. In the last couple years however empanadas have been put on the culinary map as "cool people food". So the conversion of empanadas and dumplings in one place...omg, i'm drooling! I stopped in late one Sunday night with a couple friends right after they opened not really in the mood for a big meal but knowing that dumplings needed to happen. We like to eat.

The restaurant, seated on bustling McKinney Avenue, sort of feels like a cottage home...especially when you add the patio seating and twinkling lights (read: perfect for a date). The setup is clean and modern. The angle is Brazilian and Asian flavors and the menu really does offer something for everyone. Wonton soup, ahi tuna nachos, 4 different kinds of dumplings, 4 different kinds of empanadas, entrees, and tapas to share. From bad experiences at SushiSamba I didnt know what to expect from this brazilian/asian mix. But I've gone a handful of times now so here is my breakdown...the traditional pork & chive dumplings ROCK, especially steamed, and you get plenty of them. The roasted poblano pepper & chicken soup is hearty (suprisingly cream based) and will be excellent on a cooler night. The panang curry dumplings...meh....sounds interesting but wasn't a fan in the end. Haven't tried the duck & leek dumplings but cannot wait for those!

Being such a dumpling fan and all I was surpised that my personal fave dish at the restaurant was the chicken empanadas. I've tried all the empanadas now but the chicken empanadas are MUY BUENO!! Spicy, crunchy, all happening in your mouth! And yummy dipping sauces to go along. And you can't go wrong with the cocktails....SO GOOD. The jalapeno & pineapple margarita was a dance party in my mouth...sweet and then BOOM a little spicy.

Perk: Lumi has a great happy hour with $5 specialty cocktails and $4 appetizers from 4-7 and 9-11 pm during the week.

Not so perky: Parking, its terrible...the staff is constantly telling someone either how to get to the backlot parking or that you are about to be towed if you dont drop your dumpling and move your car.

Now I understand I have some other dumpling places to try within the DFDubya and I'm getting there. But I'm definitely keeping Lumi on the Britt List of places I love and will visit again and again. Overall the place is very charming, the staff is nice, the food is delicious and realiable, the menu keeps you interested, and it kind of great for any occasion...dinner with a friend or friends, sunday afternoon lazy dining, date night, you can take your mom and she'll love it. I could go on but I won't.

Now get your chopsticks off my dumpling, dumpling! :)

Lumi Empanada & Dumpling Kitchen

Monday thru Saturday: 11 - Midnight

Sunday: 11 - 11pm

It's the line that stole my heart.

"It's all happeninggggggg"

The movie: Almost Famous

I love this line because it encompasses everything. No, not some hippie-dippy concept of a yet-to-be grand night on hallucinogens. On any given night, people are out all over town doing things I always do, someday hope to do, may never do. It's all happening.

My little secret...I'm on a constant hunt to know what all is happening. I simply like to know stuff. Define stuff you say?? Ok, when I was little I started reading the back of cereal boxes just because. And then I wanted to tell people about it. Note, this is also why my old report cards have alot of comments from teachers that I was quite chatty in class but whatever. Maybe Billy wanted to know about the polycriphosonate in his Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Mrs. Clay! Gosh.

More recently, say the past 10 years or so, this need to be "in the know" has evolved into a love for being out and about in the city...any city. I like to do things. Busy bee, social butterfly, nosy caterpillar (that last one is a stretch). And I will pretty much go everywhere and do anything at least once.

First it was Kansas City, where I was just a babe, underage and heading out into areas that my parents probably wouldn't have been thrilled about because I heard that great bar on the corner had an 80's dance night that rivaled Madonna's Virgin Tour. Needed to be a part of that like yesterday! So I trekked. I grabbed whatever friends were around and forced them to be a part of this experience with me. And they would love it! Then came NYC. The city with a billion and one things to see, smell, taste, feel and pretty much fall in love with. But that's just it....you can never see it all! I loved knowing my new favorite thing could be "just around the corner...turn at the deli with the blind cat...keep going past the urine smell...its the place with the red door" but it can all be very tiring.

Relocating from NYC to Dallas two years ago proved quit a challenge. I left a city I absolutely adored and I knew diddlysquat about Texas except everything is apparently bigger there? Hmmm, ok. After a couple months in panic mode and multiple what the hell have I done moments...I actually cried crocodile tears on the way from the airport to my new home...I realized that this has it's advantages. The chance to get to know a city (of manageable size) by simply doing what I do best?? Yes, please!!!!

So I'm doing what I do best....I happy hour all over town, I eat at new places every chance I get, I scour listings, I plan weekend excursions, if I drive by a broken down storefront with cool sign out front I'm probably stopping or at least slowing down a little. If I haven't done it yet I want to. Leave no stone unturned, thats the goal!

This ability to be out and about is due in large part to the amount of ladyfriends I've accrued since moving to Dallas. Being a very social twentysomething working in the industry I do means friends...lots of them. So it's always someone's birthday, always a friend in town, always a night out...always that age old question.....what should we do?

So here I am...me and my opinions taking to the streets (er, blog)...hoping to be somewhat of a guide for you, my friends. What sort of place are you in the mood for?? Sometimes you want a 4 course meal and sometimes you want a double whiskey on the rocks and anything you can dip in ranch. Sometimes you want a quiet cafe and sometimes you want to literally feel like Micheal Jackson is alive again and in the club. I want to tell you what I love/hate/have lukewarm jello feelings for. And since everyone's a critic, why not me??

Welcome, darlings. Hope you like what you read. :)

Britt