Living minutes from New York City can create a false perception that no city can party as hard. Well, honey, I was pleasantly surprised when my love and I went to Dallas last month.
If you follow me on Instagram, you know that we were there for a wedding. The ceremony was absolutely beautiful and I love how they brought New York City to Dallas. You can see what I mean in my stories.
But as true Penn State alums (We Are!), we stayed for the party scene. Two words: Deep Ellum. That is what our friend who relocated to the area recommended when he met us for brunch. And I can see why.
From the vibrant murals, eclectic artwork and strip of bars and restaurants, you can’t go wrong. But to guide your steps so that you can live it up the proper way, here are three restaurant and rooftop bars that are a must see:
Harlowe MXM
Harlowe MXM is a family-friendly rooftop was the perfect way to ease into the party scene in Deep Ellum. On the first 70 degree day of our trip, the rooftop was much-needed. The music was right and the crowd was diverse. I ordered six cocktails for our group and it was really affordable. The same is true for a bottle of champagne that my love ordered.
Vidorra
There is no easing into the rooftop at Vidorra. From the moment we reached the top level, we felt the energy from the blaring reggaeton. If you know me, you know I immediately started dancing. Instead of ordering single drinks, we ordered the Vidorrita, which is an oversized marg. My love and I shared it with two friends and all walked away right where we needed to be.
Stirr
When we tried to get in Stirr the first time, we were turned away because of a friend’s joggers. So, when that friend left, we circled back and it was a GREAT decision. Me, my love and a friend end up sliding into a section when a group left and all bets were off. I had a blast. The DJ kept us on our toes playing a mix of Megan Thee Stallion and Beyoncé. By that time, it was already dark and cool outside, which was perfect for my dancing fever.
I would also recommend the following restaurants outside of the Deep Ellum neighborhood:
Ten50 BBQ
I don’t know about you, but there’s no way I’m going to Texas without eating barbeque. I’m not built like that and I’m definitely not disciplined enough. Clearly, neither is my love because we both threw our workout plans and meal prep out of the window for Ten50 BBQ. And it did NOT disappoint.
When we arrived to the restaurant, smoke and spice filled the air from the on-site smokers. We ordered jalapeno-cheddar sausages, baby back ribs and thick-cut slices of brisket. Then, we headed inside to select our sides, which was an order of 5-cheese mac and cheese and warm biscuits.
Y’all. The mere thought of this meal is giving me all the feels. My favorites were the sausages, ribs, and surprisingly the mac and cheese. I prefer baked mac and cheese so it’s rare when I order it at restaurants. With that said, you can believe me when I say that it was legit.
CBD Provisions
In case you’re wondering, the restaurant does NOT infuse their food with CBD. In fact, the letters refers to the central business district. CBD Provisions is an modern Texas eatery located inside The Joule hotel. You’ll want to remember that last point so that you don’t have trouble finding it like I did.
The atmosphere was warm and cozy. I enjoyed being able to see what was happening in the open-air kitchen. Also, I loved that they bring an assortment of pastries with butter and jam to each table. Trust me, you’ve got to go for the croissant. With a smear of the blackberry jam, I can honestly say that I’ve never tasted a more flavorful croissant in my life. My love and I ordered two extra ones because they’re that good.
For my meal, I ordered the breakfast sandwich. It’s a brioche bun slathered with spicy aioli, topped with Texas ham, carmelized onions, fried cheese and an egg. It’s usually served with a sunny side up egg, but I don’t like those so I ordered a fried egg instead. You should know that for the past decade, I’ve only eaten ham when my husband makes it for the holidays. But when I saw an order, I knew I had to have it. Every layer of the sandwich coaxed you to have another bite. And it’s a BIG sandwich that I shouldn’t have finished, but I did and regret nothing.
Velvet Taco
Like barbeque, you can’t — I repeat, can not — go to Texas without getting tacos. That’s more or less what I told my husband before ending the night. Again, we turned to our friend who recommended Velvet Taco.
If I’m being honest, I don’t remember much about our final stop. What I do remember is being confused from all the selections. Luckily, there was a couple in front of us who helped guide us. I allowed the woman to pick our order because she was so enthusiastic. Me, my love and a friend ordered at least a dozen tacos. Our classic options included rotisserie chicken, grilled salmon and grilled flank steak.
But.
If you’re going to a spot that tagline is “Tacos Without Borders,” you’ve got to be a daring. Trust me, go for the shrimp and grits, the Cuban pig and Korean pig. The one that I can attest is “life-changing,” which is what the woman told me, is the spicy tikka chicken taco. When I woke up the next morning, I could still taste the tikka sauce on my tongue and I savored it.
The tacos are so good that when we got back to the city, I didn’t even want to go to my taco spot with bomb fish tacos. It wouldn’t be the same. Velvet taco ruined me AND my favorite fish tacos. Consider this a warning!
