Eater Dallas - The Cocktail Week 2015 RecapThe Dallas Restaurant, Bar, and Nightlife Bloghttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/52682/favicon-32x32.png2015-10-16T16:24:52-05:00http://dallas.eater.com/rss/stream/93320962015-10-16T16:24:52-05:002015-10-16T16:24:52-05:00The Dive Bar Aficionado's Guide to Drinking in Dallas-Fort Worth
<figure>
<img alt="Double Wide" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/fpxSPNZ166hKwNbN8yEP0GKquzM=/112x0:1932x1365/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47452450/17114408986_7615b6c2c5_k.0.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Double Wide | <a href='https://www.flickr.com/photos/thomashawk/17114408986/in/photolist-s5kPx1-r4MGHr-vAMhnq-qg77J5-5Yqhy4-5YuymS-5YuuGA-5Yuwr9-5YqjnX-5YqjHa-5YqfLv-5Yqm1i-5Yux9q-5Yqi1T-5YuvMo-5Yuw6w-5YuyG9-5YqhSr-5YuvWf-5YuA1A-4FKkjw-4FF9mR-88if9J-88ifnm-88if53-88iff7-88f2Kg-88ieZq-88ifrs-88hwpS-88ejaz-88hwvy-88hwfE-88f6m6-88ijdm-88ij3y-7dvTCs-7dvUo9-7drZBK-7dvU85-7ds1X2-7ds28K-7dvSSY-7dvT7s-7dvTuQ-7ds1JM-7ds2wc-7ds1dF-9xvJfV-9xyJcU'>Thomas Hawk/Flickr</a></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>No $12 cocktails here.</p> <p>One can reasonably argue that it has, now more than ever, become a marketing tool to describe one’s bar as a dive. In common parlance, dive means cool. It means provocative.</p>
<p>It also means nothing, not anymore, because once the very word — dive — is in the title of a TV show hosted by a particular spiky and platinum-haired brand of talking head that your parents watch, it ceases to stand as anything other than as a sobering reminder: that anything, everything, can be and probably will be packaged and sold and commoditized.</p>
<p>This is not a list of those things. This is a list of places that are weird, and places that are at times ugly and unbecoming and falling apart. <span>This is a list of actual dive bars, and because it is such a thing, it is also a list of places that kick ass. Don’t ruin these places, okay? Because, again: they kick ass. Also: this guide is brought to you by the ghost of Ships Lounge. Dallas misses you, Ships. Get well soon.</span></p>
<h2>RUBBER GLOVES</h2>
<p> <figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Rubber Gloves" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/EALdftm2YQTZ5h0wEqNWJmIWauk=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/4170584/rubberglovesflickr.0.jpg">
</figure>
</p>
<p>Dirty, dingy, dark, dank, ugly, creepy, cavernous, ramshackle — and endlessly, perfectly charming and great. That’s Rubber Gloves in Denton. It’s hands down the diviest place to drink copious large beers while bumping into other extremely bleary-eyed youths who are ostensibly watching — but in all likelihood just attempting to remain standing — a so-called punk band play loudly and messily. It is glorious and completely lacking in pretense. It is Denton, distilled, the way Denton should always be remembered and cherished. Rubber Gloves is frankly a lean-to with a liquor license squatting on a heap of gravel on an alleyway masquerading as a street; it is awful, and borderline unlawful, in the way all punk rock is fundamentally unlawful, and thus it is great.</p>
<p><i>411 E. Sycamore St., Denton</i></p>
<p class="caption">[Photo: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/yelp/8312167700/in/photolist-dEw2Sd-dEvZJL-dEqzF6-9VyMiD-9VBKw3-9VBAfG-9VBDdQ-9VBAHU-9VyKMZ-9VyNg2-9VBCJb-9VyMQB-9VBK3u-9VBU7E-9VBJH1-9Vz2wg-9VyYA2-9VBQCw-9Vz4tR-9Vz14X-9VBNZ3-9VyXPp-9VyVZp-9VBJb9-9VyReV-9VyQKp-9VyRJg-9VyTKt-9Vz63R-6J8mPM-6J8mvR-7dqpHZ-7dqpCZ-7duiiU-7dui5E-7duicU-7dqpen-6JhHCJ-6JdBnX-6JhGQG-6JhFWh-6JhF3m-7LgXcD-7LkVsY-3tCYS-3oBSr-dEvXLo-dEqA9i-dEw6Df-dEqCbZ">Yelp Inc/Flickr</a>]</p>
<h2>FINN MACCOOL'S</h2>
<p> <figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Finn MacCool's" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/-1ltcJ5qBOMsk0REZsEcUTILhnc=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/4170600/finnmaccools.0.jpg">
</figure>
</p>
<p>Someone could easily do a crawl of Fort Worth’s greatest dives; Fort Worth itself practically is a dive. Did you know you can still smoke inside bars in Fort Worth? It’s true! If Dallas is a nightclub playing only last year’s hit songs and Houston is a cocktail lounge located in a swamp and Austin is a speakeasy where mustache wax is the only valid currency, Fort Worth is a juke joint. Fort Worth is a honky-tonk time capsule. And Finn MacCool’s is exhibit A. It’s a tried-and-true Irish pub that earns its authenticity without trying at all. Drinks are cheap, regulars are salty, and seemingly everyone drinking there has been there, and been drunk there, for longer than you’ve been alive. When your parents are worried that you’re drinking too much, Finn’s is the place they picture you staggering into.</p>
<p><i>1700 8th Ave., Fort Worth</i></p>
<p class="caption">[Photo: <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516589&xs=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.yelp.com%2Fbiz_photos%2Ffinn-mac-cools-pub-fort-worth%3Fselect%3DMcOnT2Dge_urVgi5tnvhPw&referrer=eater.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fdallas.eater.com%2F2015%2F10%2F16%2F9557905%2Fbest-dive-bars-dallas-fort-worth-denton" target="_blank" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener">Holland S./Yelp</a>]</p>
<h2>THE CHAT ROOM</h2>
<p> <figure class="e-image">
<img alt="The Chat Room" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Y8PAl0OuPMHUiSF5WS9GVF7VMlo=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/4170626/chatroomFB.0.jpg">
</figure>
</p>
<p>The first thing you notice about the Chat is that it barely looks open; it looks precisely like a building on the verge of being condemned. This is a good thing, though, because that thing — being barely inhabitable — is a dive bar requirement. Billing itself as "easily the eighth-best bar in Fort Worth," the Chat Room is a place where barely anything works and barely anyone employed there even notices you at all; the Chat Room doesn’t care about you. It doesn’t care whether you enjoy yourself. The Chat Room exists unto itself, and its refusal to adapt and its steadfast, borderline self-destructive dedication to preserving its own imperfections is what makes it one hell of a place in which to tie one on. The Chat Room is a dive with some real attitude, and it was opening its rickety doors to hipsters before hipster was even a word; this ain’t a hipster bar, it’s a misfit Fort Worth institution.</p>
<p><i>1263 W. Magnolia Ave., Fort Worth</i></p>
<p class="caption">[Photo: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/thechatroompub/photos_stream">The Chat Room/Facebook</a>]</p>
<h2>LAKEWOOD LANDING</h2>
<p> <figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Lakewood Landing" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/FdXTf4sea0AVF1BAmwKQ2QZXrmk=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/4170640/lakewoodlandingEDFW.0.jpg">
<cite>Whitney Filloon</cite>
</figure>
</p>
<p>Everybody loves the Landing, and rightfully so. A great, greasy patty melt at a reasonable price, those infamous and fabulous late-night corn dogs, a super-friendly staff, a rowdy and hard-drinking crowd, and a vibe completely devoid of pretense are all welcome and precious things in short supply in Dallas’ bar scene. Plus those booths are just the right amount of comfy and gross; they’re like the hand-me-down futon belonging to your drunkest friend in college — the amount of times you’ve passed out on it, and the appreciation you have for that much-needed respite, far outweigh whatever horrors and stains and various bloodborne diseases are lurking within those crustily cozy cushions. The Landing is the <i>Cheers</i> bar if <i>Cheers</i> came on after midnight on Showtime and starred Mickey Rourke in <i>Barfly</i> instead of Ted Danson.</p>
<p><i>5818 Live Oak St.</i></p>
<p class="caption">[Photo: Whitney Filloon]</p>
<h2>COSMO’S</h2>
<p> <figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Cosmo's" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/0G3ND67aweTW1RVdXqE44yyp6Hk=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/4170666/cosmosxmasFB.0.jpg">
</figure>
</p>
<p>Cosmo’s and the Landing, due to their proximity, go hand in hand: the Landing is the downer, and Cosmo’s, the upper. You need both dives in your life to sustain an intoxicated equilibrium. Walking in at any time of night you are damn near blinded by the drenching neon lights and blaringly loud pop music. But everyone there is so full-bore into the whole bizarre ordeal that you just say what the hell and go with it and ultimately it all works out, because it’s Cosmo’s and only great things happen here. Cosmo’s is without question the bar in which you are most likely to do some kind of absurd cinnamon toast crunch shot with a horde of ironically dressed strangers and then with them attempt a poorly synchronized group dance to Thriller with a slice of bad pizza in one hand and a pint full of regret in the other. Needless to say, it is amazing.</p>
<p><i>1212 Skillman St.</i></p>
<p class="caption">[Photo: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.facebook.com/cosmos.bar.3">Cosmo's Bar/Facebook</a>]</p>
<h2>THE GOAT</h2>
<p> <figure class="e-image">
<img alt="The Goat Dallas" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/V2LfuvzEBPzGA8BLCVnlo56cTZ8=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/3730340/thegoat4sq.0.jpg">
</figure>
</p>
<p>Dude, the Goat opens at 7 a.m. Six days a week. Imagine the kind of bar that’s open at 7 a.m. six days a week! The bar you’re imagining, I guarantee you, is exactly the bar that the Goat primally is, down to the very last stitch (and stench). On the Goat’s marquee are the words "your neighborhood blues bar," which is fantastic, and gleefully anarchic, because the Goat is also the kind of bar that no reputable neighborhood would ever claim as their own. Karaoke central in DFW, the Goat touts its Wednesday and Sunday amateur-singing sessions as can’t-miss, and they really are the stuff of Metroplex lore: bawdy, ballistic, batshit, et cetera. Strange, surreal, impossible-to-replicate-anywhere-else things go on at the Goat, incessantly, and that’s enough to qualify it for any dive-bar listicle worth its salted rim.</p>
<p><i>7248 Gaston Ave.</i></p>
<p class="caption">[Photo: <a href="https://foursquare.com/v/the-goat/4a88de21f964a520b30720e3/photos?openPhotoId=4f94ad2fe4b06b0cf74aaa60">Matthew T.R./Facebook</a>]</p>
<h2>POP'S SAFARI ROOM</h2>
<p> <figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Pop's Safari Room" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/5yqCAiii_8Yp_0jlwOibkGzDxW4=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/4170710/popssafariFB.0.jpg">
</figure>
</p>
<p>Pop’s is exactly the kind of place that you, logically, don’t believe exists anymore: a bar built on, and for, smoking cigars inside it. And yet, Pop’s endures. It also shares something with many of the other dives, which is that it sits in its practically original state on a street that has otherwise transformed. Near Pop’s are many a trendy high rise, and several cutesy popsicle shops and gastropubs, and yet Pop’s pays these places no mind; Pop’s just does Pop’s, which means stogies, and taxidermied animal heads with antlers adorning the walls, and zebra-print tablecloths, and a bunch of salty old timers sitting around puffing and sipping and waxing nostalgic about the horrors of the world that has changed around them. Pop’s is Hemingway by way of Kinky Friedman. It hides in plain sight. It is magnificent.</p>
<p><i>2929 Morton St., Fort Worth</i></p>
<p class="caption">[Photo: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Pops-Safari-Room-156124371087636/photos/">Pop's Safari Room/Facebook</a>]</p>
<h2>O.E. PENGUIN</h2>
<p> <figure class="e-image">
<img alt="OE PEnguin" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/VTWA3m5rtAiu8wRMAzIKQnf7R-w=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/4170720/oepenguinY.0.jpg">
</figure>
</p>
<p>Braving the narrow flight of stairs that leads to downtown’s OE Penguin is harrowing enough when you’re sober and damn near suicidal when you’re properly sauced. It is definitely the dive bar in Dallas in which you are most likely to take an actual dive, down the stairs, and then to another popular late-night haunt that begins with two letters: the ER. Having said that, OE (that stands for one-eyed) is 100 percent worth the risk. Often populated by people who work in the service industry — so you know the drinks are strong — the Penguin caters to a particular group: people who are looking to party. And they certainly deliver on that. The people here are loud and social, the bartenders are snarky, the shots are flowing and frequent, and the ambiance is just the right balance of dark yet inviting. OE Penguin is a charmingly seedy establishment.</p>
<p><i>1404 Main St.</i></p>
<p class="caption">[Photo: <a target="_blank" href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516589&xs=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.yelp.com%2Fbiz_photos%2Foe-penguin-dallas%3Fselect%3DCUyD0G__QdR39n7IhrbasQ&referrer=eater.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fdallas.eater.com%2F2015%2F10%2F16%2F9557905%2Fbest-dive-bars-dallas-fort-worth-denton" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener">Caroline W./Yelp</a>]</p>
<p> </p>
<h2>THE OLD CROW</h2>
<p> <figure class="e-image">
<img alt="The Old Crow" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/T-qpOrcp6kfh9CxVsLX7Gkn-3yI=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/4170738/theoldcrowY.0.jpg">
</figure>
</p>
<p>The Old Crow is open early (10 a.m.) and, being in the thick of the bustling Lower Greenville booze bonanza, it’s apropos that this old place takes all comers: college partiers, seasoned drunks, hustlers, highwaymen, the high-heeled, the well-heeled, ne’er-do-wells and nobodies. Whether you’re gussied up, dressed down, or down on your luck, the Crow has a barstool, a beer, a shot, and a pool cue for you. "Old" is a fitting adjective for the Crow because imbibing here feels like hanging out at your old dusty apartment, or your oldest friend’s pad; the lighting is dim, and it doesn’t look like much, but it’s a place where you feel like you belong: no judgment, no frills, nothing put on, played out, or phony. In a sea of valets parking and expensive artisan cocktails, The Old Crow sticks out for being a place people go not to be seen but to simply just drink.</p>
<p><i>1911 Greenville Ave.</i></p>
<p class="caption">[Photo: <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516589&xs=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.yelp.com%2Fbiz_photos%2Fthe-old-crow-dallas%3Fselect%3DVyMnkDoe2cPxjJdcRk053Q&referrer=eater.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fdallas.eater.com%2F2015%2F10%2F16%2F9557905%2Fbest-dive-bars-dallas-fort-worth-denton" target="_blank" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener">Joey M./Yelp</a>]</p>
<h2>THE ELBOW ROOM</h2>
<p> <figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Elbow Room" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Bp91oDK6qZG3LNA-kmQ6vRvBlbk=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/4170682/elbowroomFB.0.jpg">
</figure>
</p>
<p>Your first look at The Elbow Room is its everyman brick exterior, the definition of nondescript; you wonder whether it’s even a place of business, whether its doors are open to the public. Well, it is, and they are, and it’s spectacular. The drinks here are poured with a strong hand, and that’s a very necessary thing, because how good the pizza is here is directly proportional to how many of those strong-as-hell drinks you’ve slammed down. The Elbow also boasts a fantastic location: It is just secluded enough to raise an eyebrow, just far enough from Deep Ellum to make one wonder, and yet close enough to draw you in. Bonuses: the jukebox here is rollicking, and on the wall there is a lewd rendering of a buxom Mona Lisa that will make you blush and haunt your dreams.</p>
<p><i>3010 Gaston Ave.</i></p>
<p class="caption">[Photo: <a target="new" href="https://www.facebook.com/elbowroom/photos/pb.129531489529.-2207520000.1445027697./10153488140964530/?type=3&theater">Elbow Room/Facebook</a>]</p>
<h2>TRADEWINDS SOCIAL CLUB</h2>
<p> <figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Tradewinds" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/03umehuAamXAvyEYHuIKKAqUv7w=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/4170760/tradewindsY.0.jpg">
</figure>
</p>
<p>A slurring and emphatic retort to the continuing gentrification of North Oak Cliff, far West Davis’s Tradewinds stands — or maybe, more appropriately, wobbles — as a bastion to boilermakers, tall boys, and basic booze. At Tradewinds they’re slinging with zeal the cheapest drinks around in a practically pitch-black lair with a leaky roof and a busted juke and a beat-up couch in the back of the bar where sometimes overserved regulars can be observed napping. Tradewinds’ patio is also the diviest that Dallas has to offer: It’s serpentine, and off to the side, out of sight, almost clandestine, which is a microcosm of Tradewinds as a whole. It’s the kind of place you know you shouldn’t be, and yet, there you are again, ordering another.</p>
<p><i>2843 W. Davis St.</i></p>
<p class="caption">[Photo: <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516589&xs=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.yelp.com%2Fbiz_photos%2Fthe-tradewinds-social-club-dallas%3Fselect%3DGNEmSw-u4Ct1NBqyuIgAGw&referrer=eater.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fdallas.eater.com%2F2015%2F10%2F16%2F9557905%2Fbest-dive-bars-dallas-fort-worth-denton" target="_blank" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener">Phil M./Yelp</a>]</p>
<p> </p>
<h2>ADAIR’S</h2>
<p> </p>
<p> <figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Adair's" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/sIewMMUj1kUnM_pFP1bp1pO7FSY=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/4170772/Screen_Shot_2015-10-16_at_4.00.50_PM.0.png">
</figure>
</p>
<p>As you walk into Adair’s you can’t help but notice the smell: It’s a menagerie of body odors, burger grease, cigarette butts, and badass outlaw swagger, and all of it has coalesced into a constant barroom cologne during Adair’s approximate 50-year reign as the king of all dives along Deep Ellum's Commerce Street. Also unique is Adair’s food, specifically their burgers, in that they are way better than they have any right to be. And because they have live music damn near every night of the week, and it is almost always a band with heavy guitar licks and a howling rebel yell, Adair’s is the quintessential dive spot for burgers, beers, and bad decisions.</p>
<p><i>2624 Commerce St.</i></p>
<p class="caption">[Photo: <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516589&xs=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.yelp.com%2Fbiz_photos%2Fadairs-saloon-dallas%3Fselect%3DRg4kKj9m0LmhqCDwnz1n-Q&referrer=eater.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fdallas.eater.com%2F2015%2F10%2F16%2F9557905%2Fbest-dive-bars-dallas-fort-worth-denton" target="_blank" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener">Debi N./Yelp</a>]</p>
<h2>LEE HARVEY’S</h2>
<p> <figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Lee Harvey’s" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/YyUEiZCIwosEgqZ9CrtKj70PQAo=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/4170846/14083052614_2d34b2cedf_k.0.jpg">
</figure>
</p>
<p>Less of a bar in the traditional sense and more a giant outdoor den of iniquity with a few bottles of liquor — and some delightfully greasy finger foods — housed inside a tiny room that you probably will never enter, Lee Harvey’s calls home easily the best patio of all of Dallas’ dives. The bar essentially is the patio; it’s what you walk into, it’s where the majority of patrons sit, and its many outside standup heaters and eclectic and enduring live music lineups make it more or less a requirement to be out there, with your dog, your significant other, or both, getting drunk on a long wooden table alongside other enthusiastic imbibers, to the jams of an Elvis Costello cover band or the Hard Line’s own Petty Theft. Also, its name: Lee Harvey’s. Its name is LEE HARVEY’S. Has there ever been a better dive bar name than Lee Harvey’s? The question is rhetorical.</p>
<p><i>1807 Gould St.</i></p>
<p class="caption">[Photo: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/yelp/14083052614/" target="_blank">Yelp Inc./Flickr</a>]</p>
<h2>DOUBLE WIDE AND SINGLE WIDE</h2>
<p> <figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Double Wide" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/CLPwUt4gyvmf_xx3orlratjgLis=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/4170872/17114408986_7615b6c2c5_k.0.jpg">
</figure>
</p>
<p>These sister bars combine to form the mecca of all Dallas dives. At the Double Wide and Single Wide, every dive requirement is checked off: snarling, destitute, lifelong drunks with whom you may drink and/or argue unwisely; crazy punk rock lunatic bands, to whom you may listen gleefully or plead with to stop; walls of wild, inexplicable, and explicit artwork and knick-knacks; scores of cheap shots and light beers; terrible and skunky bathrooms; bartenders as wonderful and personable as they are standoffish and surly; and overall a marvelously strange-smelling, poorly lit, incredibly bleak, and yet irrefutably hospitable atmosphere. The Single Wide has a small patio that offers tremendous Lower Greenville people watching, and the Double Wide offers a slice of Deep Ellum’s strangest side, along with their notorious Yoohoo shots. Go to both, and go often.</p>
<p><i>Double Wide: 3510 Commerce St.; Single Wide: 2110 Greenville Ave.</i></p>
<p class="caption">[Photo: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/thomashawk/17114408986/in/photolist-s5kPx1-r4MGHr-vAMhnq-qg77J5-5Yqhy4-5YuymS-5YuuGA-5Yuwr9-5YqjnX-5YqjHa-5YqfLv-5Yqm1i-5Yux9q-5Yqi1T-5YuvMo-5Yuw6w-5YuyG9-5YqhSr-5YuvWf-5YuA1A-4FKkjw-4FF9mR-88if9J-88ifnm-88if53-88iff7-88f2Kg-88ieZq-88ifrs-88hwpS-88ejaz-88hwvy-88hwfE-88f6m6-88ijdm-88ij3y-7dvTCs-7dvUo9-7drZBK-7dvU85-7ds1X2-7ds28K-7dvSSY-7dvT7s-7dvTuQ-7ds1JM-7ds2wc-7ds1dF-9xvJfV-9xyJcU" target="_blank">Thomas Hawk/Flickr</a>]</p>
https://dallas.eater.com/2015/10/16/9557905/best-dive-bars-dallas-fort-worth-dentonMitch Wright2015-10-16T10:14:44-05:002015-10-16T10:14:44-05:00Dallas's Essential Late Night Eats
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Y2sxtFX5FtdT_KBi7QCebtQGPRg=/69x0:830x571/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47446432/seriouspizzaMS.0.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Margo Sivin</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Where to eat after a few drinks.</p> <div><a href="http://dallas.eater.com/cocktail-week"> <figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Cocktail Week eyebrow" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/NIG6s0vg54WqMlW1N04Msm3GhFM=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/4147178/cocktail-week-logo-2015.1444407662.0.png">
</figure>
</a></div>
<p class="p1"> </p>
<p class="p1">Hey, something’s gotta soak up all those cocktails. But by the time one’s hazy mind gets around to actually eating something, most halfway-decent places are already closed. What’s a drunk person to do?</p>
<p class="p2"><span>Thankfully, the guard is changing, and the new blood behind Dallas’ pizza, ramen, and fried chicken joints are keeping their lights on longer. There are, if you squint hard enough, and Uber far enough, a few places in Dallas in which to get exactly what you need: a meal that doesn’t suck, ordered late at night to sober you up. Here are a baker's dozen top-notch late night food options next time you're buzzed and hungry.</span></p>
https://dallas.eater.com/maps/best-late-night-restaurants-food-dallasMitch Wright2015-10-15T11:15:00-05:002015-10-15T11:15:00-05:00Drink Cheap in Dallas: Booze Bargains For Under $5
<figure>
<img alt="$2 wells await you at Bryan Street Tavern." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/5Zc6eF7-MUHfPrvG9EaUpAJmHT8=/55x0:944x667/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/46763090/bryanstreettavernEDFW.0.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>$2 wells await you at Bryan Street Tavern. | EDFW</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>When a $12 cocktail just won't do.</p> <p dir="ltr">When you're short on cash, there's nothing more defeating than looking at this new wave of craft cocktail menus where practically every drink is $10 or more. Sometimes you just want to get sloshed on the cheap — and more importantly, you need a drink that won't cost more than your dinner. When the need for bargain booze strikes, check out these Dallas establishments where you can get <b>drinks for $5 or less</b> — sometimes <i>way</i> less.</p>
<p dir="ltr"> </p>
https://dallas.eater.com/maps/dallas-cheap-drinks-5-dollars-beer-cockails-wineAmy McCarthy2015-10-15T09:45:02-05:002015-10-15T09:45:02-05:00Bowlounge, 9 P.M. on Friday
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/9ITj5tnmYdGQlYZZ4XVoJAPCSCk=/112x0:1889x1333/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47417696/Bowlounge-8920.0.0.jpg" />
</figure>
<p>White Russians + silly bowling shoes = one fun night.</p> <p>Given the number of <a href="http://dallas.eater.com/maps/best-dallas-cocktail-bars">top-notch cocktail bars</a> in Dallas, drinking can easily be the focal point of a night out — but if you'd like a little more recreation to go along with your boozing, you need look only as far as <strong>Bowlounge</strong> in the Design District.</p>
<p>Here, pretend you're in <em>The Big Lebowski</em> as you bowl a few strikes and sip on a Caucasian (AKA a White Russian made with half-and-half). There's also The Jesus, a spicy jalapeno margarita, or The Nihilist, a cucumber, gin, and mint concoction topped off with ginger beer. You may or may not be allowed in wearing a bathrobe, however.</p>
https://dallas.eater.com/2015/10/15/9528909/bowlounge-dallas-photosWhitney Filloon2015-10-14T09:45:02-05:002015-10-14T09:45:02-05:00Dallas Chefs and Bartenders Spill Their Go-To Hangover Cures
<figure>
<img alt="Take two and call me in the morning." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/pF4vqpWaEGfMNrrnZwMR8Q7KQRE=/306x112:1997x1380/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47417826/39774011_276a0a0e6b_o.0.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Take two and call me in the morning. | <a href='https://www.flickr.com/photos/cybe/39774011/'>Staffan Enbom/Flickr</a></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In honor of Cocktail Week, a guide to curing the morning-after blues.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span>Sometimes, no matter how much water you drink or how little booze you consume, you awake the next morning plagued by a head-pounding, gut-wrenching hangover. The sober life is the only surefire way to avoid the hell that can follow an evening of excessive drinking, but come on — who wants to do that? If you’re a seasoned drinker, you’ve probably got your own tried-and-true ways of getting your head right, but it never hurts to call in the professionals. </span></p>
<p dir="ltr">So we asked some of Dallas’ top industry figures to spill their top-secret <b>hangover remedies</b>. From the overachievers (who goes for a run when they're hungover?) to the greasy carb-bomb consumers, here are 10 chefs' and bartenders' go-to coping methods when they've overindulged.</p>
<h3>
<b>EDDIE EAKIN </b><span><i>Rapscallion, Boulevardier</i></span>
</h3>
<p dir="ltr">"My favorite way to cure a hangover is to drink a lot of electrolytes and grab a bowl of <b>Asian noodle soup</b>."</p>
<h3>
<b>MATE HARTAI </b><span><i>REMEDY, HG SPLY Co.</i></span>
</h3>
<p>"When I have a bad hangover I get out and <b>walk around the block with my dog</b> Elsa... it clears my head & works every time!"</p>
<h3>
<b>MATT ORTH </b><span><i>Lark on the Park</i></span>
</h3>
<p>"Once I get to the hangover I'm basically done for, so I try to prepare as much as possible prior to the next day. Lots of water, vitamin C, and <b>a run in the morning</b> usually does the trick. The run in the morning is pretty brutal but it'll allow me to get through the day."</p>
<h3>
<b>CHAD SOLOMON </b><i>MIDNIGHT RAMBLER</i>
</h3>
<p>"Chia seed green tea mixed with two teaspoons of <b>fish oil</b>" will cure anything that ails you, according to Solomon. That is, of course, assuming that your stomach will tolerate such shenanigans.</p>
<h3>
<b>CHRISTY POPE </b><span><i>Midnight Rambler</i></span>
</h3>
<p dir="ltr">"The best hangover cure starts with the classic eight ounces of water and two aspirin before bed. For hangover cures the morning after, I recommend digesting a breakfast of eggs and avocado and then the classic yogic techniques of breath of fire and <b>a headstand</b> to get the blood flow circulating."</p>
<h3>
<b>MICHAEL MARTENSEN </b><span><i>Madrina, Proof + Pantry</i></span>
</h3>
<p dir="ltr">"There are many ways to approach the so-called hangover. First, just don't get hungover by drinking mezcal or tequila, or really anything made from the agave plant. Second, stay hydrated: <b>for every one drink, have a glass of water.</b> However, if you decided not to listen to the first two deterrents and instead to dive into a vodka martini over and over, the next day is going to be rough. To start that day, get some potassium in your body: eat a banana, some granola and yogurt.</p>
<p dir="ltr">"An <b>Irish Coffee</b> will also do the trick; it's a more natural version of a vodka Red Bull and should put a pep in your step. If you want to dive into the tomato based-drinks — not a bad idea — switch it up and make a bloody bull, which is a bloody mary with a little beef stock. Try a red beer or chelada if you don't want to go high-octane."</p>
<h3>
<b>SAM WYNNE </b><span><i>Braindead Brewing</i></span>
</h3>
<p dir="ltr">"If I need to get up early and get things done, I float a nitro stout on top of a Red Bull and chug it down. If I have time to nurse myself back to life, <b>enchiladas and queso</b> — specifically from Rafa’s on Lovers."</p>
<h3>
<b>BRIAN LUSCHER </b><span><i>The Grape</i></span>
</h3>
<p dir="ltr">"<b>The BOB from Luscher’s Red Hots</b> is guaranteed to get you right. Then chug a can of ice-cold Coke Classic and eat a BIG cookie."</p>
<p dir="ltr"><span> </span></p>
<h3>
<b>EDDIE "LUCKY" CAMPBELL </b><span><i>Parliament</i></span>
</h3>
<p dir="ltr">"For myself, <b>a Diet Coke with a couple dashes of bitters</b> will do. If you’re looking for a more exotic, historical hangover helper, go for a Chicago Fizz," says Campbell. The Chicago Fizz is an old-fashioned hangover remedy mixed with ruby port, egg whites, and dark rum. Should you find yourself wandering into Campbell’s Uptown bar with your own hangover, the bar will pour you a tall glass of his Diet Coke remedy gratis.</p>
<h3>
<b>BRIAN ZENNER </b><span><i>On Premise, The Mitchell</i></span>
</h3>
<p dir="ltr">"<b>Green papaya salad</b>, the funkier the better," says Zenner, noting that the green papaya salad served up at On Premise is an excellent choice. Of course, he doesn't forget the most important part — chasing said salad with a little hair of the dog in the form of an ice-cold beer.</p>
https://dallas.eater.com/2015/10/14/9485697/hangover-cures-dallas-bartenders-chefsAmy McCarthy2015-10-13T11:00:03-05:002015-10-13T11:00:03-05:0010 Mezcal Drinks to Sip Right Now in Dallas
<figure>
<img alt="Madrina's Wild Mind cocktail" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Lb62LAS5bLLHQ5oFqzww8oJUvFs=/112x0:2882x2078/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47402888/madrina2.0.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Madrina's Wild Mind cocktail | Katy Norris</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Get familiar with tequila's smokier, more complex cousin.</p> <p>Mezcal is having a moment, to say the least. Over the last several years, mezcal sales in the United States have risen dramatically — nearly 48% between 2007 and 2011 — and the trend continues to persist. The process of making mezcal is similar to that of its agave-based cousin tequila, but there's one key difference: the agave is smoked before it is distilled. The resulting spirit is smoky and complex, yet lighter than something like say, scotch.</p>
<p>Mezcal has recently become prevalent on cocktail menus across Dallas, which makes total sense — it is of course the margarita capitol of the world, and we love smoked things (hello, barbecue). While a good mezcal is more than worthy of sipping solo, it can also make for some seriously intriguing cocktails. Here are 10 worth sampling, whether you're already an avowed mezcal fan or looking to expand your cocktail horizons.</p>
https://dallas.eater.com/maps/best-mezcal-cocktails-dallasAmy McCarthy2015-10-12T13:00:02-05:002015-10-12T13:00:02-05:00Why One Dallas Bar Is Putting Deer Antler in Your Drink
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/GH9GazLmGPqmRJaF6DAGd5jLZUU=/240x0:4122x2912/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47392266/shutterstock_108381047__1_.0.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Shutterstock</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In the beginning, cocktails were created to cover the putrid flavor of bootlegged spirits. But in addition to their ability to cover the taste of badly distilled whiskey and gin, many of these drinks promised potent medicinal properties. Aromatic bitters and other tinctures (called patent medicines) made with roots, herbs, and barks were touted as aids for digestion as far back as the ancient Egyptians. Most prized of all, though, were elixirs that promised to restore one’s virility. </p> <p dir="ltr">It’s pretty well-established these days that much of this "science" was a bunch of snake oil, but at top-notch Uptown cocktail bar <b>Parliament</b>, the drive is still somewhat alive. Fedora-clad barman Eddie "Lucky" Campbell doesn’t promise any health miracles when he serves you <b>The Jing</b>, but he is quick to note its key component's centuries-long past as a highly prized Eastern medicine.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>The key component of The Jing isn’t the 17-year Suntory Japanese whisky — it’s deer antler extract. You may remember back to 2013, when former Texas Rangers star Nelson Cruz (among other Major League Baseball players) was suspended for using the extract, which is believed to have performance-enhancing abilities. Around that same time, Campbell was trying to figure out how to use this component in a cocktail. But the roots of deer antler extract’s "metaphysical" properties go back much further.</span></p>
<p><q class="pullquote">Deer antler extract is one of the most potent ways to restore one’s life essence.</q></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>According to ancient Chinese medicine, dating back thousands of years, deer antler extract is one of the most potent ways to restore one’s "jing," or life essence. "It’s your inner tenacity that we’re all born with," explains Campbell. "We may all have different levels of jing that we’re born with, and the trials and tribulations of life deteriorate your jing."</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>The science behind deer antler extract’s purported benefits, which also include skeletal and cardiovascular support, is largely inconclusive, but the serum is still coveted — a 2-ounce bottle of the high-quality deer antler extract used at Parliament costs around $100 — largely for the presence of mucopolysaccharides, the chemicals that restore broken antlers in deer. It is believed that these properties help regenerate the human body, too.</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Campbell first discovered the potion at a now-defunct raw foods restaurant, whose dedication to homeopathy and natural remedies Campbell describes as almost cult-like. He paid the owner of the restaurant $100 for a "mega-dose" of deer antler extract. "I was really in a bad place in my life at the time," says Campbell. </span>He’d just left the ill-fated Chesterfield, and there was a glimmer of hope that Parliament could exist. But Campbell was busy — doing events, consulting on cocktail programs, and working a full-time bar shift. To say the least, his jing was quite low.</p>
<p dir="ltr"> <figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Antler Extract" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/auSyK3ciXxLxqvevMsmT29pcPOQ=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/4141416/antlerextract.0.jpg">
</figure>
</p>
<p class="caption">Katy Norris</p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>After taking the dose of deer antler extract, Campbell says that he experienced a burst of creativity like he’d never experienced before. "All of a sudden, so much stress had been relieved, I had never experienced a day like this in my life. My creative juices were just firing," says Campbell. "I was almost just delusional." And thus, The Jing was born.</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>After that shift, Campbell says that his super-creativity dissipated, but he was still committed to getting this extract into a cocktail. He had to get most creative in attempting to cover up the taste of deer antler extract, which has a sort of earthy, funky tree bark flavor, and it wasn’t going to be easy. "It had to be relevant to the cocktail, and flavor relevant," says Campbell. "You don’t want to make something that’s just disgusting."</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>He then found Byrrh quinquina to mix with the deer antler extract, which has a similar flavor to a subtle cherry vermouth. Because there were no Chinese whiskeys at the time, he chose Japanese Suntory whiskey. "The subtle cherry notes blend the body into the vermouth, and then vanilla smooths that earthiness down," says Campbell. "Citrus notes and bitters brighten it up, and it’s a really enjoyable drink." For a final boost of virility, Campbell uses a microplane to freshly grate actual deer antler over the top of the cocktail.</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"> <figure class="e-image">
<img alt="Antler Shave" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/LdgCEATWwkWlAWQ806-5Z7QcpcM=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/4141414/antlershave.0.jpg">
</figure>
</p>
<p class="caption">Katy Norris</p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>But does it work? Well, that all depends on how much you believe in ancient Chinese wisdom — but Campbell is convinced. "The people who have had the Jing cocktail come back to tell me that they’ve felt the effects," he says. "I know that after taking deer antler extract, it restores your fight that keeps you in the game. But there’s no proof — it’s a faith thing." </span></p>
<p><span>At $27, the Jing is one of Dallas’s most expensive cocktails, which means that you’d better be a believer. It also happens to be an excellent, well-balanced drink, complete with a hand-chiseled chunk of ice that doubles as a stunning garnish. Should you find yourself feeling a little downtrodden — and have the cash to spare — this liquid pick-me-up might just do the trick.</span></p>
https://dallas.eater.com/2015/10/12/9485723/deer-antler-cocktail-jing-parliamentAmy McCarthy2015-10-12T10:00:02-05:002015-10-12T10:00:02-05:00Every Important Cocktail Bar in Dallas, Mapped
<figure>
<img alt="Midnight Rambler" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/qpzZHk8A80pVnpta-1fwmRozb5Q=/115x0:1892x1333/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47371028/MidnightRambler-5756.0.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Midnight Rambler | Lori Bandi</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Drinking essentials.</p> <p>Practically every restaurant in town has so-called "craft cocktails" these days, but not all $12 drinks are created equally. For a carefully crafted and well-executed libation, these ten Dallas bars won't steer you wrong. From a beloved dive to a ritzy hotel bar — and everything in between — this list will serve as a handy reference next time someone utters that magical phrase, "Let's get a drink."</p>
https://dallas.eater.com/maps/best-dallas-cocktail-barsWhitney Filloon