Being from Chicago, we are used to a city with so many delicious choices when it comes to food. That is why when we travel, we try to enjoy as much of the local cuisine as possible to get a taste of what that city has to offer. Dallas is no exception. We had the privilege of spending a night in this great city before visiting our son in college and was able to tour some of the popular hangouts and try some of the local cuisine. We highly recommend walking around in the downtown area to get a taste of Dallas and Deep Ellum since you will not have to go far before you are hit with the delicious aroma of BBQ and hear the sounds of nightlife all around you.
The Woolworth
Sit outside on the patio and take in the sights and sounds. This is especially lovely when you leave Chicago at 38 degrees. Have the Kentucky Blue, a blueberry infused whiskey drink that is not too sweet and not too strong, but all the right amount of delicious. Be sure to order Nona’s toast, which is a blend of beautiful chipotle-pico de gallo flavors piled upon tender pot roast meat on fresh panini points. Lets continue our Taste of Dallas tour…
The Crafty Irishman
Irish Mule! What a great idea to blend Jameson with ginger beer to create an Irish version of the popular drink. Get the Scotch Egg and the fried crab meat stuffed Avocado. On the menu the avocado isn’t listed as being fried, but it was part of their “secret” menu. If you like crab cakes, you will melt when you eat this succulent appetizer. If you like scotch eggs, you will appreciate the perfect consistency of the yolk and the sauce bed they sit on.
BrainDead Brewing
A very hip microbrewery about a 10 minute walk from the downtown in an area of the city called, Deep Ellum. They serve great food (but we didn’t eat here this particular time) and great beer.
The Free Man Cajun Cafe & Lounge Also in Deep Ellum, you can get the taste of Dallas at this spot. We just happened to stumble upon because of the live jazz that was spilling out onto the street. We ordered food and we are so glad we did. Gator bites, Crawfish etouffee, and Cajun Brisket. Just the names would start anyone’s mouth watering. If they could deliver to Chicago, we would be ordering every weekend…it’s that good. Walking back to the hotel after stuffing our face, we walked by Main Street Garden Park. There they had setup a large screen where they were showing one of Elvis’s older movies, Jailhouse Rock. Apparently, every Thursday at 7:30pm they will be showing iconic movies from each decade up to the future. It was very quaint and had a very close neighborhood feel with residents walking their dogs and couples snuggled up in blankets to watch the movie. Here are the upcoming movies: May 4: Breakfast at Tiffany’s June 1: Superman July 6: Ferris Bueller’s Day off August 3: Forrest Gump September 7: Best in Show October 5: Back to the Future Definitely, make sure to visit these places if you are ever in Dallas and have fun together on a night on the town!
-By Dr Ray & Rev Jean Kadkhodaian