A Fashionable Lunch

I love Neiman Marcus in downtown Dallas. There's something alluring about it. Maybe it's the urban location, the height of the escalators, the bridal boutique or the Zodiac Room. I had never actually eaten at the Zodiac downtown until this weekend. It's elegant and luxurious. Each diner receives a signature popover with strawberry butter and a tiny cup of chicken broth. It's a truly decadent experience. I wanted to taste everything, but I settled on the deconstructed tuna salad sandwich. It was full of flavor, and looked as beautiful tuna salad can. Of course I made a short pit stop on the first floor in women's shoes (there's a pair of Pedro Garcia wedges on sale!) and did a little browsing around the Contemporary floor. My mom used to shop in Neiman Marcus downtown when she lived here and worked in the city, almost 30 years ago! It's a don't miss Dallas experience.

Zodiac Room

In Love With Lovers Lane

For those of us that can't stand NorthPark mall on a Saturday, or one more store that sells Theory, boutiques are a savior. I all but lost faith in independent shops since Kacky & Karl closed its Uptown store a few years ago. But do not despair, I have found salvation on Lovers Lane. Funny enough, it's not far from SMU, though I never visited these well-respected shops the entire time I was in school. The exact locale is between Preston Road and the Tollway on Lovers. The traffic is terrible, that's how you know you're in the right spot. Elements is a Dallas staple. The high end store carries designer brands and unique pieces that you won't find in department stores. Their belts are to die for. Next door (actually connected to Elements) is Elle, a great place for slightly less expensive but still unusual choices. Great jeans. Across the street, you'll find Mine and Hemline. Mine is a modern store while Hemline is a little more traditional. Now, none of these options are particularly "bargain," but new to the street is Strut. This boutique mainly focuses on shoes but also carries tons of jewelry and clothing, and has great prices. I believe it's out of Austin. While recently shopping there, I bought a pair of flats for twenty-seven dollars. Nothing I touched was more than sixty.

Lovers Lane is not only for the clothing obsessed, it's also the home to Stella Dallas, a fabulous and unique furniture store that is small, but can order anything you need. The pieces are kind of girly, and many are from New York designers. Love! The store has a few jewelry items and luxurious paper goods. I'm definitely into over-priced paper goods. That's not sarcasm. I have the yellow stripe throw pillow in the photo at left.

Frankly, I do love Theory and it's available on Lovers Lane too. If you go a little too far down Lovers, almost to Inwood, you find Neiman Marcus Last Call. This is not like a regular outlet shop. It is small, well-organized and supremely well stocked with all of my favorite brands from the department store. I should never have to pay full price for denim ever again.

Elements/Elle
Mine
Hemline
Strut
Stella Dallas
Neiman Marcus Last Call

Golf Carts, TexMex and Purple Beer. Fort Worth!

I rarely venture out of the bubble in Dallas (that's 75 to Inwood, NW Highway to downtown) but I do have an amazing friend in Fort Worth. So last night we decided to mix it up in Cow-Town! We started the evening with the coldest beer in the metroplex at Angelo's BBQ restaurant. Since I'm not a carnivore, we didn't stay for dinner. However, the smell was amazing and I may have had a taste of the brisket. For dinner, we moved on to La Familia, a TexMex Fort Worth institution. Inside, they serve very cold beer, and you get a choice of soup with your entree. My Fort Worth connection promises me that this soup helps prevent hangovers. I felt pretty good today so she must be right! Finally, we ended the night watching the Mavs play at Rock Bottom. No, not the brewery chain, but a cool bar in the TCU area. They even serve purple beer! I tried to order one, but unfortunately they were out of the dye. Apparently it's just Miller Lite. Since my friends live so close to the TCU scene, they often take a golf cart out on the streets to enjoy the lovely summer nights. That's a trend I could definitely get into. Maybe I can start it in Chapel Hill...

You may be wondering why I'm chattering about cold beer. It's because my Fort Worth connection has a blog of her own, all about the best places for cold beer. Check it out: The Warmest Beer I Ever Had Was Warm

Angelo's BBQ
La Familia
Rock Bottom

For Sushi & Cheeseburgers

Everyone in Dallas is wild about Houston's (now called Hillstone), and it's actually part of a chain of restaurants that diners around the country love. As much as I like Houston's (it will never be Hillstone to me), the atmosphere and smaller menu at R+D Kitchen really lure me in for dinner time and time again. The menu is quite eclectic. For example, I can order sushi and the boyfriend can order a cheeseburger. They also have meatloaf, and deviled eggs. The best appetizer is the dip duo featuring guacamole and cold queso. Yes, cold queso is a little weird at first, but totally delicious once you're used to the concept. It's a great spot to spy some Highland Park cougars sitting at the bar together. I can't barely stand the unreasonable wait for dinner at Houston's, and the wait is never as long at R+D Kitchen. I can't understand why.

R+D Kitchen
Hillstone (aka Houston's)

Music, Wine and Quite a View from the Belmont

There are a few items still on my Dallas "bucket list." This is a list of all of the things in Dallas I need to do before moving. One of those, was Barefoot at the Belmont. This concert series at the Belmont Hotel takes place by the pool, with the grandest view of downtown Dallas I've ever seen. The Belmont is a great place for drinks and apps, and they have a fabulous restaurant called Smoke next door. It's particularly nice for carnivores as it's an upscale BBQ joint. But back to the concert. Last Thursday night, Jason Isbell and Maria Taylor played small acoustic sets. The sun was setting, it wasn't too hot and just behind the musicians was downtown. Everyone sits in lawn chairs or directly on the grass, so it's a comfortable and relaxing place for a great date. The boyfriend and I went and really enjoyed sitting next to each other, drinking white wine in a plastic cup, and listening to the music. It's amazing to see how the skyline of Dallas has grown. It's really non-stop all the way to Cityplace, when just a few years ago there were hardly any large buildings north of Woodall. It really got me thinking, as Dallas has grown, so have I. Maybe now I've outgrown Dallas, as it has outgrown the boundaries of downtown into uptown, through Oak Cliff and beyond Frisco. I tell you, this evening was just about perfect, and I'm so glad I didn't neglect Barefoot at the Belmont on my bucket list.

Barefoot at the Belmont
Belmont Hotel
Smoke
*Note, this photo is not of the show that I attended, but of the King Bucks show

The Drama that is EatZi's Lunch

There is one place in Dallas that you either love or hate. That place is EatZi's. It's a delicious restaurant/market where you can take home pre-made meals, build your own sandwich or salad, or even just pick up a great bottle of wine and some fine cheese for a party. I love EatZi's. There is no better salad than the one that I build with their chefs. The sushi is always fresh. The people watching is always hilarious. There are sorority girls in Juicy sweats that look like they just woke up at 2 in the afternoon, and trendy business women there for a quick lunch on the go. Chances are good that you'll see someone you know, so put on a little make-up. So who would hate this amazing food experience? The boyfriend, for one. EatZi's is a popular spot, the parking lot is a dog-eat-dog experience, and the lines can be absurd. All are worth the struggle if you have a little time to kill. If you are in a hurry, I don't recommend EatZi's on Oak Lawn between noon and 12:30 on weekdays. I'm particularly fond of the new EatZi's on Lovers Lane for lunch. The location at Lovers and Inwood is the perfect spot right between Elements, Mine and Neiman Marcus Last Call. But more on those another time. Generally, the crowd is very Highland Park student, or Preston Hollow mom, so I'm also less likely to run into someone after a workout, and the atmosphere is a little more laid back.

EatZi's

Lions, Tigers & Penguins

For Memorial Day, the boyfriend and I decided to visit the Modern Museum of Art in Fort Worth. Unfortunately, it was closed. So instead we went to Fuzzy's Tacos and The Fort Worth Zoo. I had never been to the FW Zoo, but it definitely lived up to expectations. The zoo had all the big ticket animals, lions, tigers, zebras, and penguins. It also has an excellent exhibit called the Museum of Living Art. The main focus of the MOLA is amphibians, reptiles and insects. The insects, I don't care for, but the the reptiles were fascinating. I feel bad saying this, but there was definitely a snake that I would love to make some shoes out of. Don't worry, it was venomous and wasn't endangered! Even in the hot hot Texas Summer, the FW Zoo has plenty of shade, and Dippin' Dots to keep you cool.